Dog walker dragged into traffic as ‘out of control’ bullmastiff attacks him in street
Victim suffered serious bite injuries to his arm and chest while taking his pup for stroll in Sheffield
A dog walker was pulled into a busy road when he was attacked by an aggressive bullmastiff in the street.
The victim suffered ‘serious bite injuries’ before a passing driver drove onto the pavement to break up the incident in Sheffield on Tuesday.
Footage from the scene showed the bullmastiff going after the man’s dog, forcing him to hold his pet above his head to avoid its reach.
As the mastiff continues to jump at the man he falls from the pavement and into the busy dual carriageway.
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A Red BMW driver then drives onto the pavement, causing the dog to briefly let go of the victim. The distracted animal stops the attack and follows the owner’s canine away from the scene.
Police have thanked the driver after they managed to trap the “dangerously out of control” dog and remove it to a safe location. The force said the victim suffered serious bite injuries to his arm and chest but is expected to recover.
A 53-year-old man from Sheffield has been arrested on suspicion of having a dangerous dog out of control and remains in police custody as enquiries continue.
A South Yorkshire police spokesman said: “We are aware of footage circulating on social media reporting to be of an incident of a dog dangerously out of control on Handsworth Road in Sheffield.
“Officers attended the scene, including firearms officers to safeguard the public, and it is believed the dog jumped over a wall to access the road.
“Officers trapped the dog in a contained area and were eventually able to seize it and safely remove it from the location.”
Chief Inspector Emma Cheney added: “We know these incidents will cause concern among those who live near the location, and for those who witnessed the incident this would have been upsetting.
“We want to reassure people the dog has been seized and removed while we carry out our enquiries and determine exactly what happened. All incidents of this nature are treated with the utmost diligence, and we will investigate thoroughly to ensure the community is kept safe.
“We would like to thank members of the public and medical staff who came to the aid of the victim, who has been taken to hospital for treatment at this time.”
Anyone who witnessed the incident or who has CCTV or car dash cam footage which may have captured the incident can pass information to police via their online live chat, their online portal or by calling 101. Please quote incident number 716 of 19 September 2023 when you get in touch.