Updated February 16, 2018 12:19:53

Two would-be burglars got into a spot of bother when one threw a brick in an attempt to break a window but managed to hit his partner instead.

The encounter was captured on CCTV footage outside a non-descript warehouse in Shanghai.

The two men are seen approaching the building before one man takes his first attempt at smashing the storefront open with a brick.

The brick appears to bounce off the building and onto the ground, sending one of the thieves scurrying over to fetch it.

Following his lead, within seconds, the other man hurls a brick in the same direction which hits his accomplice in the head.

The brick-throwing burglar can be seen hoisting his partner's limp body off the ground and dragging him away from the scene afterwards.

Photo: One of the men is seen dragging his accomplice from the scene. (ABC News)

The video footage was posted to social media website Weibo by the Shanghai Police Department, and has since been viewed more than 15 million times on the site alone.

"If all thieves were like this, police wouldn't have to work overtime," the video was captioned.

The condition of the injured thief is unknown and police are yet to identify the men involved.

Topics: law-crime-and-justice, crime, human-interest, china

First posted February 16, 2018 10:25:17