Police Dog Tracked Down Driver Who Fled Crashed Stolen Lorry

This is the moment a police dog runs down a driver who has fled into woodland after crashing a stolen pickup.

The footage was released by Thurston County Sheriff's Office on 25th August and shows the pursuit in Tumwater, in the US state of Washington.

The video shows the vehicle being chased before it hits a light pole, and the dog tracking the driver through the trees until officers reach him.

Officers had been called to a theft in progress the previous evening, when a white Dodge Ram was taken along with a black saloon that also turned out to be stolen.

The suspects were seen tipping the contents of the pickup onto the ground before a sergeant found them a short time later.

An attempt was made to pull the vehicle over, but the driver drove off and a brief pursuit followed.

He crashed into the light pole, left his injured passengers in the wreckage and ran into the woods, ignoring warnings that a dog would be sent after him.

The dog, named Igo, held him until a second officer caught up and detained him.

Those in the wrecked pickup, among them a runaway juvenile, told deputies the group had been stealing cars along the interstate between Seattle and Portland for three weeks.

They said they had also run from Oregon State Police during that time.

While the arrest was under way, the occupants of the second stolen car went into a shop nearby, took goods without paying and drove off at speed.

Several other callers reported that the same suspects had tried to break into or steal their vehicles.

Everyone in the stolen Dodge Ram was arrested by officers from Tumwater Police Department.

(Joe Golder/Clipzilla/NX)