A woman has been arrested after an 84-year-old man was badly injured in a vicious dog attack in Warrington. Police say the pensioner was dragged into a back garden by the dog and ravaged.
The victim was walking along Bardsley Avenue in Warrington at around 6.40pm on Monday when he was attacked by a suspected XL bully which had escaped from a nearby address in Cheshire.
Officers had to shoot the dog 19 times in order to stop the attack. A second XL Bully was also destroyed inside the property, and a third smaller dog was seized.
Woman has been arrested
The pensioner suffered serious injuries in the incident in the garden, Cheshire Constabulary said.
Police, including armed officers, went to the property, and the dog was destroyed outside the address.
A second suspected XL bully was also destroyed inside the property and a third smaller dog was seized.
Officers fired 19 shots to bring the incident to a close, the force said.
The victim, a local man, was taken to Aintree Hospital in Liverpool, where his condition is currently described as critical but stable.
A 29-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of having a dog that was dangerously out of control, causing serious injury.
Vicious dog attack in Warrington
Detectives are searching for a 40-year-old man in relation to the attack.
Chief Constable Mark Roberts said the victim was “an innocent man who was simply walking in the street when he was horrifically attacked by a suspected unregistered XL Bully”.
The breed, he said, “are like weapons; their physical attributes can make it like owning a loaded firearm with a questionable safety catch”.
“The sheer size and ferocity of these animals mean that our firearms officers had to discharge 19 shots – all of which hit their targets – in order to bring the incident to a conclusion and ensure the safety of the public.”
Chief Constable Roberts said the force has removed more than 100 XL bullies from the county.