A man who tried to flee from police was snagged by a 'four-legged land shark” as flames engulfed his bike.

Police had attempted to pull over the driver of the bike after a Waikato dog handler spotted it with no registration plate or tail lights.

The dog handler followed the motorbike around the outskirts of Te Awamutu for about 30 minutes, says a post on the Waikato Police Facebook page.

'While the rider was trying to head back to Hamilton, his luck ran out. The bike started to slow down, smoke and sparks started appearing.

'This is when he ditched the bike and started to run. He managed to get 100m away from the bike but that wasn't enough because Gabby the four-legged land shark found him.

'The bad guy was under the influence of drugs, had meth in his possession and a disqualified driver. The bike had no warrant of fitness or registrations since 2012.”

While officers at the scene placed handcuffs on the man, they looked up to see the bike on fire right beside the dog wagon.

'The fast thinking officers at the scene moved the wagon and made sure everyone was a safe distance away from the bike.

'Te Awamutu fire service were called to the rescue.”