A father and son aged 56 and 27 respectively chased down and tried to apprehend a burglar they spotted on CCTV after he broke into their Paphos shop that sells eyeglasses but fled the before they got there.

The pair caught up with him in a nearby field where the suspect pulled a knife and injured the son on the hand before escaping on a bicycle, police said.

According to Paphos police press representative and CID chief Michalis Nicolaou, around 4.50am on Sunday the shop alarm went off, alerting the family at home that there was a break-in underway.

Their security cameras showed a man inside the shop, which is in the town centre, he told CNA.

The father and son immediately headed for the shop, calling police on the way.

When they arrived at the shop the perpetrator was gone. They searched the surrounding area for him and reportedly found him hiding in an adjacent field.

“They tried to apprehend him, but he allegedly pulled out a knife, injuring the 27-year-old on the right wrist,” said Nicolaou.

The perpetrator then fled the scene on a bicycle and is being sought.

The 27-year-old was treated at Paphos A&E for his hand injury that required stitches.

According to police, from investigations, it became clear that the perpetrator allegedly stole around 100 pairs of glasses from the shop, several of which he dumped in the field when he fled.

The alleged perpetrator is described as a 50-55-year-old man who had his face covered with a surgical mask. He also wore a hat and a black jacket and shorts, also black.

According to NIcolaou, the perpetrator gained entry to the shop after smashing a side window.

Police later on Sunday urged the public not to be vigilantes as they could ger seriously hurt or worse.

They have not yet managed to track down the suspect they said but had taken evidence from the shop and the field.