It was community policing on a large scale.

Homeowners and bystanders pitched in Wednesday to help corral a suspect in a break-in on the 600 block of Seventh Street E.

It started around 9 p.m. CST when people coming home stumbled across a man in their house. The thief bolted, with one of the people giving chase.

For the next 15 minutes, things got pretty wild.

People on Broadway began calling police to report one man chasing another up the street. One of the bystanders took up the chase with the homeowner.

The thief was eventually cornered in a yard. Police said he grabbed a pair of garden shears and threatened his pursuers, and then escaped again.

The suspect hid in another yard. That worked until police let one of their dogs loose.

The man was arrested and taken to hospital – with dog bites.

The suspect is due in court this morning.