XL bully on the loose after being shot at by police in Sheffield
A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder
An XL bully is on the loose after armed police shot at the dog following a firearms incident that led to three arrests.
Officers were alerted to gunfire outside an address at Daniel Hill Street, in the Hillfoot area of Sheffield, shortly after 10pm on Thursday, before a vehicle fled the scene, South Yorkshire Police said.
Armed officers attended property and found the XL bully at the scene. Shots were fired towards the dog, and it fled the property. The condition of the dog is currently unknown.
Chief superintendent Jamie Henderson said: "I would like to assure you that we are doing all we can to locate the dog or find those who may have housed it to evade police contact.
“We appreciate people in our communities being vigilant, and I ask that you get in touch immediately if you see the dog. I urge you not to approach the dog, as we believe it has the ability to show aggression and cause harm."
Later the same day, armed officers were called to reports of a crash involving a motorbike and a silver VW Golf at Liberty Drive, in the Stannington area of the city, shortly after 3.10am on Friday.
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Police understand that shots were fired at a man, and the crash damaged several other parked vehicles.
Evidence of a firearms discharge was found by the officers at both incidents, which are being treated as linked.
Following the incident a 37-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, while a 39-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm, South Yorkshire police said.
A 36-year-old man who as riding the motorbike, was also arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle.
All three currently remain in custody.
On the firearms incidents, Mr Henderson said: "We have dedicated resources from across the force working at pace to establish the circumstances surrounding these incidents, but we need your help too.
"I would urge anyone with information to come forwards."
It has been a criminal offence to own an XL bully without an exemption certificate since February 2024.
The government received 61,000 exemption applications before the deadline, which saw owners buy insurance, microchip their dog and pay a fee of £92.40 per animal.
Anyone who has seen the dog or has information relating to the incidents has been asked to contact the force online or by calling 101, quoting incident number 948 of 3 April 2025.