A man has been arrested in connection with the murder of a former Navy officer in Chorlton, Greater Manchester, police said.
Mike Samwell, 35, died after going to confront intruders who broke into his home as he slept upstairs with his wife Jessica at 3am on Sunday.
He was found badly injured in a parking area at the rear of the house in the traditionally quiet neighbourhood and died little more than an hour later in hospital.
Greater Manchester Police believe he was run over at least once as he tried to prevent the intruder or intruders from making off with his black Audi S3 sports coupe.
Detective Superintendent Jon Chadwick said that he went downstairs after the couple heard noises coming from the ground floor.
The force tweeted on Monday to confirm an arrest had been made.
Det Supt Chadwick had earlier appealed for underworld bosses to stop protecting those involved.
“It is one of those things where you would expect the criminal fraternity to help us out with. It’s more than criminal,” he said.
According to LinkedIn, Samwell trained as a naval officer at Britannia Royal Naval College in Devon and spent around a decade in the senior service before leaving in 2014.
He was married to wife Jessica in 2011, according to reports.
The LinkedIn profile says the University of Leeds graduate worked in several roles, including on board a nuclear attack submarine as a weapons officer.
Since leaving the Royal Navy he had worked as a programme manager for engineering firm Atkins in Warrington, Cheshire.
An Atkins spokesman told the Press Association: “This is a tragic event and our thoughts go out to Mike’s family, friends and colleagues. We will support the family in any way we can.”