A thermal imaging camera attached to a drone captured a police dog apprehending a suspect who had instigated a high-speed police chase. The South Yorkshire Police were chasing a white Skoda Fabia, which refused to pull over at the time of the incident.
Police dog chased suspects down successfully
The video shows the suspects attempting to flee the scene by rushing through a grassy area and deserting their car in the woods. They were then chased by PC Matt Aris and his dog on foot.
PC Aris’s bodycam footage features his warnings to the suspects. He shouts, “Police officer and dog. Stand still or I’ll send the dog… Stand still, do not run. Otherwise, I will send the dog… Do you understand? Stand still!”
Despite these warnings, only one of the suspects obeyed — as reported by the Daily Mail. This compelled PC Aris to release Luna, the police dog. Aris later confirmed, “Challenge given, dog released.” Through thermal imaging obtained from an overhead plane, Luna was seen quickly gaining on and capturing the second suspect by latching onto his leg. The detained suspect was heard crying out and screaming, saying “please,” before being subdued and arrested by PC Aris.
A 23-year-old male was apprehended by Luna, resulting in his arrest under the suspicion of various driving offenses and possession of a Class A drug. Another 27-year-old male was also taken into custody, both of whom have since been released for further investigation.
Police released footage of the January 20 incident to highlight the importance of teamwork in catching suspects. PC Aris recalls the events, explaining that he received descriptions of the men from the National Police Air Service.
“I challenged them, telling them to stand still or Luna would be released,” he said. “One suspect failed to comply and started to run.” He then set Luna loose who quickly ran and detained the offender.
