A pit bull terrier came to the rescue of its owner in central Athens early yesterday when it attacked a man who had just mugged her and helped detain the suspect until the police arrived to arrest him.

The dog leapt out of a car window after a man reached in and grabbed a mobile phone from the hands of the woman driving the car at 4 a.m. in Kolonos.

The suspect, an unnamed Moroccan national, ran off but the woman pursued him in her car and managed to cut him off, police said. At that point, the thief punched the victim, leaving her with a bloody face.

Seeing blood pouring from its owner’s face apparently spurred the pit bull into action, according to officers. It leapt out of the car, threw the suspect to the ground and bit both of his hands. The dog prevented the mugger from escaping until officers arrested him.