Fleeing alleged car thief hopped in a backyard to hide — but the dogs were home

A California manhunt ended peacefully after a family's dogs attacked a fleeing car thief and forced him to lock himself in a first-floor bathroom, KCBS-TV reported.

What happened?

Los Angeles police were chasing a couple that were fleeing in a reportedly stolen vehicle.

When police finally stopped the car, they were able to arrest the woman, but the man escaped.

The alleged car thief jumped into the backyard of the home of Albert and Alma Prado. It seemed like no one was home at the time, but the man quickly learned otherwise.

Jax and Dory, the Prado family’s dogs, attacked the man as soon as he hopped the fence into the backyard, chasing him across the yard and forcing him back over the fence.

Out of options, the criminal ran to the side of the house and broke in through a window before locking himself in a first-floor bathroom.

Fortunately, the Prados have security cameras all over the home, so the entire thing was captured on video. When they saw that the man had entered their home, they gave the keys to LAPD who went in and arrested him.

“That’s our hero right there,” Albert Prado said of Jax the dog. “Guy’s getting a nice juicy steak.

“They got him. Thank God they arrested him,” Albert said.

Dogs as home security

The incident at the Prado home is just another illustration of how useful dogs can be in deterring burglars.

NBC News recently interviewed convicted burglar Nicholas Kyriazis from prison about ways to keep your home from being a target for burglars.

Kyriazis said he has broken into between 100 and 150 homes, and said a barking dog is considered a “highly effective deterrent” against burglars.