WATCH: Sheriff's deputy barks like police K9 to trick teen suspects into surrendering

Pierce Co. Sgt. pretends to be K9 to get suspects out of hiding

A Pierce County Sheriff's sergeant used a unique way to get teens out of hiding after they allegedly stole a car: by pretending to be a K9 that was about to be released on the hidden suspects.

UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. - A Pierce County Sheriff's deputy used a unique way to get teens out of hiding after they allegedly stole a car: by barking like a K9 that was about to be released on the hidden suspects.

Around 8:25 a.m. on Aug. 18, deputies were called to the cemetery on Chambers Creek Way in University Place for reports of a stolen vehicle.

The sergeant was able to get ahead of the car and deployed spike sticks to get the vehicle to stop. The driver of the stolen vehicle went over it and all four tires were flattened.

However, the teen suspects rounded a corner, ditched the car along Bridgeport Way, and then ran off.

A deputy found two teens in a ravine near a creek bed.

In body camera footage released by the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, the sergeant yells out to the teens: "Don't make us release our K9!"

The deputy then starts bellowing and barking like a police K9. He did not actually have a K9 with him.

The two teens came out from hiding and were arrested without incident. The other two teen suspects were arrested shortly after.

The teen suspects later told detectives that they actually believed there was a dog about to be sicced on them. One told detectives: "As soon as I heard that dog, I gave up."

Washington Crime and Public Safety