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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Lydia Chantler-Hicks

Video captures people running from 'XL Bully' which attacked four people in Battersea

Video captures the moment terrified people ran from a suspected XL Bully - with one man climbing on top of a car as the dog rampaged in south London.

Four men were injured and taken to hospital after the dog attack in Battersea Park Road, on March 18.

Met officers shot the dog dead, and arrested two people.

CCTV footage has now emerged showing the moment terrified members of the public ran from the out-of-control animal.

The footage shows at least nine people sprinting away from the brown dog, with one man running into a stream of traffic as the large animal closely pursues him.

One man climbs onto the roof of a car in a bid to escape, while another picks up a large piece of wood and attempts to bat at the dog.

As the dog pursues the pedestrians, an SUV-style car mounts the pavement, apparently trying to run it over or stop it from attacking.

A man can be seen lying on the pavement with the dog near him, just out of shot.

Other onlookers frantically try distracting the dog, waving their arms and shaking jackets at it. It eventually moves on and runs along the street, apparently continuing its rampage.

The Met police said armed officers swooped on Home Road to reports of an out-of-control dog attacking members of the public at 10pm on March 18.“Due to the threat posed to the public by the dog, armed officers attended,” a spokesperson said. “After assessing the situation, officers took the difficult decision to destroy the dog and it was shot.“Four men – all members of the public - were taken to hospital for treatment to injuries sustained during the dog attack. None of their injuries are life-threatening.”

Other video from the scene shared by MailOnline appeared to show members of the public throwing a blanket over and hitting the dog with a helmet after it had attacked the four men.

Officers arrested a 22-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman on suspicion of being the owner/person in charge of a dog dangerously out of control after the attack. 

They have since been bailed until mid-June.

The dog is suspected to be an XL Bully, but the Met has not yet confirmed its breed.

In February, a mother told how her children were “lucky to be alive” after being allegedly attacked in a separate incident involving an XL Bully which did not have a muzzle in nearby Battersea Park.

The children, aged one and two, suffered bites after the dog jumped on them in Latchmere Recreation Ground in Battersea Park.

As of Feburary, it has been a criminal offence to own, breed or sell an American XL bully dog unless you have an exemption certificate.

In order to be exempted, owners have to prove that their XL bully has been neutered, with puppies required to be neutered by the end of 2024.

The ban was introduced by ministers after a spate of high-profile attacks involving the breed, several of which were deadly.

The breed is thought to have been around since the late 1980s, when American Staffordshire terriers and pitbull terriers were crossed.

Over time, they have been crossed with several other breeds to create an even more muscular dog.

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