KEY POINTS:
BERLIN - A father of two in Germany stunned authorities when he chased down an auto thief by car, leapt on to the roof of the stolen vehicle and then phoned through instructions to police as the crook sped off with him.
Police in the western town of Siegburg said today the 43-year-old had first called in to say he had spotted the thief by his suspicious driving and was in pursuit -- despite the fact he had his wife and two young children in the car.
The man stopped the thief by crashing into the stolen car, slightly injuring his wife and one of the children.
Then, as the 29-year-old thief put the car in gear and drove off again, the father jumped on to the roof.
"The witness held on to the roof of the vehicle, phoned through his position to the local station and audibly attempted to pacify the car thief," police said in a statement.
After driving about 800 metre, the thief let the man climb down, and was shortly afterwards apprehended by traffic police.
- REUTERS
