A club landlord was pistol-whipped as he tried to defend his Bury premises late last night – but police dogs hunted down the two offenders as they tried to escape.
At 10.25pm officers were called to Salisbury Conservative Club on Badger Street following reports of a robbery.
They found the dazed landlord had struggled with two men who had entered the club with a silver handgun, threatened him and pistol-whipped him – but ran off empty handed.
Superintendent Karan Lee, said: “Confronted by two intruders, the landlord has bravely fought back but has been struck with a weapon during what was, no doubt, an extremely frightening incident for him.”
Police released a dog patrol to the area to catch the offenders, and two men were soon arrested on suspicion of robbery at a nearby block of flats.
A gun, believed to only fire blanks, was recovered from near to the address and is being forensically examined.
The landlord’s injuries, from being hit across the head with the gun, are not thought to be life-threatening.
Superintendent Lee praised the team who tracked down the men and the handgun.
“The involvement of the dog patrol in particular demonstrates the specialist resources that are on hand and working around the clock to assist us in identify suspects when crimes such as this occur,” she said.
The two men arrested remain in police custody for questioning.
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