to put somebody down

[wuwo1]

Hello,

I'm wondering if I can use the verb from the title in the following context:
The police chased the criminal and put him down on the ground.

I don't want to say that they shot him down I mean that they made him lie on the ground.

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

 

[Rover_KE]

In that case, say 'The police caught the criminal and made him lie on the ground'.

If an officer chased him and felled him with a tackle like in rugby or American football, then he brought him down or wrestled him to the ground.

 

[MikeNewYork]

I don't have any problem with "put him down on the ground", no matter how it was accomplished.

 

[Tdol]

You could also say that the police took the criminal down.