'Get him, Shep!' - K9 and police officer split up to catch car theft suspects

PASCO COUNTY, Florida (KTRK) -- A Florida deputy and his K9 split up to hunt down a pair of car theft suspects, and it was all caught on camera.

Bodycam footage shows Deputy Nick Carmack and his K9 Shep split up after the driver of a stolen car crashed into a telephone pole north of Tampa.

Deputy Carmack handcuffed the passenger while Shep hunted down the driver who ran into the woods.

The driver tried to drag the K9 in an attempt to escape but ended up detained by the deputy.

Deputy Carmack and Shep have gained viral attention online, with video of the chase and capture clocking more than 1.2 million views and counting on Facebook.

SEE ALSO: HPD K-9 officers help take down thousands of suspects

A big Foti High Five to the HPD K-9 officers who have helped take down thousands of suspects.