CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Police took a Clearlake man into custody on Thursday morning with the help of a police K9.

“Dex” was used to apprehend 30-year-old Sean Brooks, who first tried to elude police in a vehicle before fleeing on foot, according to Lt. Tim Celli of the Clearlake Police Department.

Celli said that just before 8 a.m. Thursday Clearlake Police Officer Travis Lenz was on patrol and saw a suspicious vehicle on Valley Avenue.

After the vehicle drew Lenz's attention by making some unusual turns, Celli said Lenz began to follow it.

Celli said the vehicle made an abrupt turn onto Carol Avenue from Valley Avenue. Lenz passed the street and then turned around, at which point he saw the vehicle approaching Valley Avenue from Carol Avenue.

Once the driver – later identified as Brooks – saw Lenz approaching, he immediately began backing in an unsafe manner down Carol Avenue. Celli said Lenz attempted to make a traffic stop on the vehicle but Brooks sped up in reverse in an obvious attempt to evade the officer.

Brooks then spun his vehicle around and hit a chain link fence on the east side of the roadway, Celli said. Brooks attempted to get out of the vehicle on the driver side, but Lenz positioned his patrol car near the driver’s door in order to block Brooks' path.

Celli said Brooks got out of the vehicle on the passenger side and fled on foot, with Lenz chasing him through several yards and across several residential streets before losing sight of him in the area of Highlands Way and Vista Robles.

Clearlake Police officers set up a perimeter around the residential neighborhood, where several neighbors alerted officers that they had seen the suspect run through a yard to a vacant house located on Vista Robles Avenue, Celli said.

Officer Mike Carpenter and his Police K9 Dex arrived on scene. Celli said Dex found Brooks hiding under a pile of debris under the abandoned house.

When Brooks resisted, Dex bit him, Celli said.

Brooks, who was wanted on felony parole violations, was taken into custody without further incident. Celli said Brooks suffered only minor injuries and was treated and released from the hospital shortly after being taken into custody.

He said Brooks was booked into the Lake County Jail for felony parole violations, resisting police, evading police while in a vehicle, driving on a suspended driver license, hit and run and possession of narcotics paraphernalia.

Celli said police thanked all of the citizens who helped police by as they were searching for Brooks in the neighborhood.