Police hunt for 'XL Bully' owner after beast launches second attack against kids
Police have ramped up their hunt for an ' XL Bully ' owner after his dog lunged at another child just after it carried out a terrifying playground attack.
The latest reports come after families warned the dog "wanted to kill someone" when it went for a number of children in Latchmere Recreation Ground in Battersea, South West London. The first attack took place at around 11.30 am on February 2, after the dog was let off the lead without a muzzle. The owner is said to have run away from the scene.
On Monday, Wandsworth Police released a CCTV image of the man and his dog, which is believed to be a now-banned breed, after they received a second report to say it was "not safely in control" again. In the renewed appeal, police said the animal tried to attack another child and their parent but the owner managed to keep hold of the dog. It is unclear what date the second incident took place.
Wandsworth Police wrote on Facebook: "We would like to speak to the pictured man in regards to two reports of his dog being not safely in control. The second ( happened) in the same area, where the dog went to attack a child and parent however the owner managed to keep hold of the dog, but was reportedly struggling to do so. If you know who this is, please let us know to help further our investigation. Our thanks are as always in advance."
Wandsworth Police issued this CCTV image in a bid to locate the owner (Met Police)In an earlier appeal regarding the first attack, Sergeant Steve Hales of the Metropolitan Police's South West Safer Neighbourhoods Team said: "We were called by a member of the public who said they had seen a dog, believed to be an XL bully, attack some children in Latchmere Recreation Ground, Burns Road, SW11. We attended the scene within a few minutes and found the children, who were all safe but had received some minor injuries. The dog, who was not on the lead and was not wearing a muzzle at the time of the attack, had already left the park with its owner. We understand this will be very worrying for local residents but I would like to reassure you that we are working hard to locate the dog and its owner.
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He added: "The owner of the dog is believed to be a black man aged between 25-35 years. He was wearing a black tracksuit, a black Canada goose jacket with a white fur hood and black, Nike trainers. The dog was grey with tan features." After the first attack, a frightened victim came forward and said her two children were "lucky to be alive". She described how the animal "launched itself" on the pram, which was holding her one-year-old daughter. She said her pushchair fell over and her child was bitten. She was also injured as she fought off the dog and screamed for assistance.
The woman previously told the Express: “In Battersea, there's a lot of families and a lot of dogs. There's a lot of gangs and everyone just feels scared at the moment. Everyone is nervous to leave their house. There's always been crime but it was largely gang related whereas now it's not the case. These dogs are so out of control and are on our doorstep. There's nothing we can do about it.”
Both incidents happened after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak imposed an XL Bully ban. He previously said: "American XL bully dogs are a danger to our communities." Under the new measures, all owners are meant to keep their dogs on the lead and muzzled when out in public.
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