Police dog bites the 'wrong man'

A man who escaped uninjured after an attempted shooting in Nottinghamshire was later bitten by a police dog who mistook him for the attacker.

A passing police dog handler saw a man fire a sawn-off shotgun on Newgate Street in Worksop on Wednesday evening and attempted to apprehend the suspect.

The man bitten was targeted by mistake by the dog handler as he left the scene in the same direction as the assailant.

He suffered minor injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment.

Two men, aged 23 and 29, were arrested several hours later in Nottingham.

A police spokesman said the man who fired the shot fled the scene and a police dog was released to chase him.

"The dog would find it difficult to decide which person to tackle because both men ran in the same direction", he added.

"Unfortunately the dog has gone after the intended victim - it was an unfortunate mistake really."