Police officers had to discharge 19 rounds to euthanize two XL Bully dogs following a severe incident where an 84-year-old man was left critically injured after being pulled into a yard and brutally mauled.
A woman has been arrested after the ‘unregistered’ XL Bully mauled the helpless pensioner.
In light of the dogs’ large size and aggressive behavior, as well as the presence of another suspected XL Bully on the premises, law enforcement had to deploy lethal force by firing 19 shots to neutralize the animals, as detailed in a distressing update provided today.
According to Cheshire Police, the elderly man was assaulted by a dog that had absconded from a nearby residence while he was strolling along Bardsley Avenue in Warrington at approximately 6:40 PM the previous day.
The dog, believed to be an unregistered XL Bully, dragged the pensioner into a nearby garden and attacked him, causing serious injuries.
He was taken to Aintree Hospital where his condition is currently described as critical but stable.
The dog was destroyed by firearms officers outside the address. A second suspected XL Bully was also destroyed inside the property and a third smaller dog was also seized.
One ‘traumatised’ local resident told today how he tried to ‘batter’ the ‘massive’ dog with a yard brush but it ‘wouldn’t get off’ the pensioner.Â
Marked Cheshire Police vehicles and a forensics van pictured today on Bardsley Avenue, Warrington, after an 84-year-old man sustained serious injuries in a dog attack
Two hounds, believed to be XL Bully dogs, were destroyed by officers and a third small dog was also seized (stock image)
Today police said a 29-year-old woman had been arrested on suspicion of being in possession of a dog dangerously out of control causing serious injury
‘It was horrific,’ he told the Liverpool Echo.
‘I was looking through the kitchen window and saw a guy lying on the floor in the driveway over the road.
‘I thought the man had had a heart attack. Then I saw this massive dog. So I ran over and battered it with my yard brush. But it didn’t work. It wouldn’t get off him.
‘I called over the road for someone to call the police. The police arrived and we were told to get in. We had to move away because the dog could have attacked us.’
Issuing a chilling warning today in response to the horrific scene, Cheshire Chief Constable Mark Roberts said: ‘These dogs are like weapons; their physical attributes can make it like owning a loaded firearm with a questionable safety catch.’
It has been an offence to own or possess an XL Bully dog in England and Wales without a valid certificate of exemption since a crackdown launched last year following a spate of horrific attacks.
The powerfully-built animals can only be exercised in public on a muzzle and lead under a new law which came into effect last February.
Today police said a 29-year-old woman had been arrested on suspicion of being in possession of a dog dangerously out of control causing serious injury.
Enquiries are also ongoing to locate a 40-year-old man in relation to the incident.
Cheshire Constabulary Chief Constable Mark Roberts said: ‘This was an innocent man who was simply walking in the street when he was horrifically attacked by a suspected unregistered XL Bully.
‘The sheer size and ferocity of these animals mean that our firearms officers had to discharge 19 shots into them – all of which hit their targets – in order bring the incident to a conclusion and ensure the safety of the public.
‘While the victim is now receiving the treatment that he requires, there is no doubt that this incident will impact him for the rest of his life.
‘The danger to the public that these dogs pose is well known, which is why Cheshire Constabulary has been extremely proactive in enforcing the new regulations.
‘So far we have already removed more than 100 XL Bullies from the streets of Cheshire, and we are committed to doing all we can to ensure that those who don’t comply with the new regulations are held accountable.’
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Cheshire Police at www.cheshire.police.uk/tell-us, or call 101, quoting IML 2034464.
Dog attacks have risen by a fifth in one year, with police recording more than 80 incidents a day.
Police forces recorded 30,539 offences of a dog injuring a person or a guide dog last year – up from 25,291 in 2022.
In 2023, there were over 6,000 recorded incidents of dog bites requiring hospital treatment.
