Girl bitten by police dog chasing Manchester car theft suspect

Updated

A six-year-old girl was bitten by a police dog which had been deployed to catch a suspected car thief.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said they have launched an internal investigation into the attack after the youngster was admitted to hospital.

The GMP dog team had been pursuing an alleged car thief after being called to Briscoe Lane in Newton Heath, Manchester, at around 8pm when a stolen Fiat Punto ploughed into a wall in nearby Blackstone Walk.

The driver fled the scene and the dog was sent after him.

Police said the girl was not seriously injured but remained in hospital overnight.

A GMP spokesman said: "A police dog was deployed to pursue the offender and during the chase a six-year-old girl was unfortunately bitten.

"The girl was taken to hospital and kept in overnight for observation. Her injuries are not believed to be serious.

"An automatic referral has been made to the Greater Manchester Police Professional Standards Branch."

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