Police Dog Harley Captures Wanted Man After Violent Escape Attempt in Rochdale

A 31-year-old man is in custody after attempting to ram a police car while trying to evade arrest in Rochdale, with Police Dog Harley and his handler tracking him down to a back garden where he was hiding.

The dramatic incident unfolded around 5:30pm last night when a Sergeant from Heywood Neighbourhood Team spotted the wanted man on Middleton Road during routine patrol. The man was wanted in connection with threats to kill.

After briefly losing sight of the suspect, the officer located him at his home address sitting in his vehicle. The man immediately noticed the police car behind him and attempted to ram it with the officer still inside. Fortunately, the officer escaped injury as the man fled the scene.

The suspect drove over a pedestrianized area before abandoning his vehicle and continuing his escape on foot. The Tactical Dog Unit was deployed to the area, where PD Harley and his handler conducted an extensive search that led them to discover the man hiding in a back garden.

Police arrested the 31-year-old on suspicion of threats to kill, failing to stop for police, and dangerous driving. A subsequent search revealed a large bag of cannabis hidden nearby, along with empty snap bags and a phone, resulting in an additional arrest for suspected drug supply offenses.

Inspector Victoria Holdsworth from GMP’s Specialist Operations Branch said: “The man tried to flee by attempting to ram a police car not thinking about the injuries this could have caused to the officer. Thanks to our canine capabilities in the force who responded immediately and located the man, we were able to make this arrest. Our highly trained police dogs are a vital part of our policing family in GMP, and police dogs and specially trained handlers are deployed across the force day and night to keep people safe.”

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