ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — It’s a new one, even for Albuquerque police officers. They said a man tried to use a Yorkie as a getaway method when they confronted him earlier this week.

You can hear the interaction between APD officer Aaron Stevens and suspect Bobby Chavez through lapel footage. Stevens pulled over to check on Chavez at the DK Gas Station on Carlisle Boulevard and Comanche Road Monday, when he saw him loitering under a “No Trespassing” sign. Chavez was holding a Yorkie in his arms.

“You see that sign right there, bro?” Officer Stevens asked.

“No, I’m sorry man, my dog was just using the bathroom, man,” Chavez replied.

Stevens then asked for Chavez’s ID. Lapel video shows Chavez digging around in his wallet for a few seconds before throwing the dog at Stevens and taking off running.

“Very, very unexpected for sure,” Stevens said.

Stevens chased after him, but Chavez had a head start and ran into a nearby apartment with a woman inside. Stevens said he got in through an unlocked screen door and wouldn’t let the woman leave.

A neighbor told us that the woman texted him asking for help. The text read, “I have a stranger in my apartment please help. He won’t leave. Can u plz help me come through the back door?”

She was able to escape and met up with police outside.

“She wasn’t harmed by this incident so that’s important, but it’s still probably really shocking for her just to have an unknown individual inside her house,” Stevens said.

Police were able to get Chavez out of the apartment and into handcuffs. He came out with his hands up after several commands.

Stevens said they went back to look for the dog but couldn’t find it. A spokesperson for Albuquerque’s Animal Welfare Department said someone turned it in the next day. It wasn’t injured and it’s back with its owner.

Chavez was wanted on two felony warrants when Stevens approached him. Those warrants involved aggravated assault and drug charges. He’s now in trouble for false imprisonment and police said there could be an animal abuse charge in his future, too.