SAN DIEGO -- A vigilant retired Marine and the dog he brought home from Iraq were credited with helping officers nab two suspected car burglars Wednesday, San Diego police said.

Around 2:45 a.m., dispatchers received a call of a car burglary in the 600 block of Gravilla Place in La Jolla, said Monica Munoz of the SDPD. The car's owner, retired Lt. Col. Jay Kopelman, reported that he was following the suspects in another vehicle, and stayed on the line with dispatchers as patrol officers caught up with the suspects at 800 Sapphire St., Munoz said.

Joseph Anthony Verdugo, 29, and Leonard Eric Williams, 40, were booked into the San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of burglary, conspiracy to commit a crime and possession of a controlled substance. Williams was also booked on an outstanding felony warrant, according to Munoz.

Kopelman told officers that his dog, Lava, alerted him that something was wrong. He checked the perimeter of his home and discovered the car burglary in progress, Munoz said.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the canine was rescued from Iraq by Kopelman three years ago.

Munoz cautioned citizens against trying to take suspects into custody on their own. In this case, she said, the retired Marine did the right thing by notifying police about the burglary and letting officers apprehend the suspects.