Sheffield dog attack: man arrested and pet seized by police after attack by 'dangerously out of control' dog

Police have seized a dog and arrested a man following an attack on another man on Tuesday evening (19 September) in Sheffield.

Officers were called to Handsworth Road in the Handsworth area of the city at around 5.40pm on Tuesday evening after receiving a report of a member of the public being attacked by a dog. Armed cops were among those deployed to the scene where a man was reportedly attacked by another dog while walking his own dog.

The incident involving the dog, reported to be a bull mastiff-type breed, was caught on CCTV. The footage, which showed the man desperately trying to protect his pet dog from the canine off its lead, has been shared online.

The man suffered " serious injuries" from the attack to his arm and his chest. However, the injuries are said to not be life-threatening or life-changing.

South Yorkshire Police said in a statement: "We are aware of footage circulating on social media reporting to be of an incident of a dog dangerously out of control on Handsworth Road in Sheffield this evening (Tuesday 19 September). We can confirm we were called at about 5.40pm to report a member of the public being bitten by a dog at the location.

"Officers attended the scene, including firearms officers to safeguard the public, and it is believed the dog jumped over a wall to access the road. The man received serious injuries to his arm and chest but these are not thought to be life-changing or life-threatening.

"Officers trapped the dog in a contained area and were eventually able to seize it and safely remove it from the location."

It has now been confirmed that a 53-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of having a dangerous dog out of control and remains in police custody for questioning. Police are appealing for information from any possible witnesses to the attack, in particular those who may have CCTV or dashcam footage from the scene.

Chief Inspector Emma Cheney said: “We know these incidents will cause concern among those who live near the location, and for those who witnessed the incident this would have been upsetting.

“We want to reassure people the dog has been seized and removed while we carry out our enquiries and determine exactly what happened. All incidents of this nature are treated with the utmost diligence, and we will investigate thoroughly to ensure the community is kept safe.

“We would like to thank members of the public and medical staff who came to the aid of the victim, who has been taken to hospital for treatment at this time.”

Anyone with information can report it South Yorkshire Police's online live chat, their online portal or by calling 101, quoting incident number 716 of September 19, 2023.

Footage can be emailed to [email protected]. Include the above incident number in the email subject line.

To provide information while remaining anonymous, information can be passed to officers by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or complete a simple and secure anonymous online form at Crimestoppers-uk.org.