A dad-of-two was left needing stitches after he was mauled by a police dog while he was chasing a burglar near his home.
William Campbell, from Birmingham, was at home with his partner on April 20 when they heard someone breaking into their neighbour's shed.
The 51-year-old went out to investigate and came face-to-face with a suspect holding an empty beer glass, who he tried to persuade to stay still while police were called.
As the force arrived near his Brackendale Drive home, the suspect made a break for it and Mr Campbell, a retired teacher, chases after him.
He explained: "As this was unfolding, he kept looking at me in a funny way and I said 'don't come at me with that glass' and raised my hand out to keep a distance.
"To my surprise, he threw it on the floor. He then started talking about his anxiety and I told him we'd clear everything up when the police got there - I'd text my missus to tell her I was with the suspect and where I was so she could relay it to them.
"I gave chase and he tripped on the curb and his phone fell out of his pocket. As I get to him, he squares up to me, meanwhile, I don't know what the police officer was doing behind me. I tried to grab him and threw a right hand out and missed. He runs and I give chase again but then I suddenly felt my legs being tripped up, I look down and saw the dog.
"It was biting me and it locked onto my left arm, I was saying 'I'm not the burglar, that's the burglar running away', he must have seen him as well. I was in a crumpled heap getting chewed by this dog and it didn't release me until a police car turned up. The officer just let the dog maul me, I was telling him that his dog was breaking my arm and he just said 'be still'."
Mr Campbell said he was left in a pool of his own blood after being attacked by the German Shepherd and had to watch the criminal run away, BirminghamMail reports.
He was left with a broken left wrist and deep wound on his right calf, which Mr Campbell said bled for more than 24 hours.
The dog also left him with bites, scratches and bruising on his left thigh and broke his thumb on his right hand.
Mr Campbell has since accused the West Midlands Police dog handler of "unnecessary use of force".
However, the force responded by saying there was "no indication that a criminal offence has been committed by the officer or that he has behaved in a manner that would justify bringing disciplinary proceedings against him".
The Birmingham man was also put in handcuffs despite his protests of being an innocent party.
He added: "I told them if I was unconscious, they wouldn't get any details and would just call me an ambulance."
Mr Campbell was outraged to hear the dog handler remained on active duty, despite a complaint being put into the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
He said he didn't hear the officer issue a warning before releasing the dog and stressed he did not fit the description of the suspect.
However, the IOPC has passed the matter to the force's Police Standards Department to handle, with Mr Campbell believing the organisation had "stuck two fingers up" to him by failing to investigate.
A West Midlands Police spokesman said: "Mr Campbell’s complaint was initially referred to the IOPC. It is now being investigated by our Police Standards Department.
"We have carried out an assessment and there is no indication that a criminal offence has been committed by the officer or that he has behaved in a manner that would justify bringing disciplinary proceedings against him. However, the assessment will remain under review. The officer has no restrictions to his duties.
"We carefully assessed a referral from West Midlands Police last month into the incident in Walsall involving a dog handler. We determined that a local investigation, to be carried out by the force’s professional standards department, was appropriate.
"We advised the force that an investigation was required in order to identify whether the dog handler appropriately assessed the full circumstances and risk at the time and whether injuries sustained by a member of the public could reasonably have been prevented. If no police conduct is identified, the IOPC retains a level of oversight of local investigations by reviewing the force’s final investigation report.
"Since making our decision, we have now received a further referral from West Midlands Police which we are assessing, setting out a complaint from the man who was injured.”
