Suspect chased down by police dog after home raid

Laura O'NeillNorth West
News imageGMP German shepherd dog Nova in the back of a police van. With characteristic black and tan markings, Nova has its large pink tongue sticking outGMP
PD Nova chased a suspect and brought him to the ground

A suspect was chased down by a police dog and arrested for burgling a 77-year-old's home after police responded within four minutes.

The victim was woken by a noise in the early hours of Tuesday and saw a torchlight before someone tried his bedroom door handle.

He locked himself inside the room until police arrived, four minutes later, to spot two suspects running off, Greater Manchester Police said.

Police dog Nova gave chase and a 34-year-old suspect was brought to the ground by the dog and arrested shortly after the break-in, which happened in Ashton-Under-Lyne, Tameside.

News imageGMP Nova the police dog lies down on an area of grass. The German shepherd, with pointed ears, has a mainly black upper body with tan legs.GMP
Nova has been praised by its handler

The suspect was allegedly found with items belonging to the victim,

Det Sgt Alexandra Smith said: "Crimes like this cause misery to homeowners and the wider community and thanks to a great team effort and our police dog Nova, we were able to make a successful arrest."

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