A sharp-eyed neighbour sparked a dramatic early morning police operation in Elgin that ended up with two men being arrested – one after spending time in hospital after being run over by a police Land Rover.
Elgin’s Pinefield Crescent was the scene of the early morning incident on Monday when a local man returning home from a work at around 6am spotted two men acting suspiciously.
He called the police who quickly arrived on the scene to discover two men making their escape from the back of a house – one of the men, a 21-year-old, was hit by the Land Rover as he tried to evade police.
The home owner, who did not wish to be named, said: “I woke up to hear a lot of noise downstairs, when I came down a man was lying on the road outside surrounded by four police officers.
“My living room had been turned over and the TV and DVD player had been unplugged. It is quite scary to think that people are prepared to break into your home in broad daylight when you are actually in bed upstairs.”
Police confirmed that two men had been arrested, one of whom had been taken to nearby Dr Gray’s hospital for treatment but later released. Pinefield Crescent was closed for three hours following the incident with early morning traffic having to be diverted from the area.
A police spokesman said: “We can confirm that two men, aged 21 and 24, have been charged in connection with an alleged break-in to a house in the Pinefield Crescent area. The men are expected to appear at Elgin Sheriff Court on Tuesday.”
Police are appealing for witnesses to the incident, asking that they contact them by dialling 101 or the Crimestoppers line on 0800 555111.