Neighbours have told of their horror after a ferocious 'pitbull' attacked a teenage girl and a takeaway delivery driver before being shot dead by police marksmen. Armed officers were called to Morley Street in Rochdale on Friday night following reports of an aggressive dog on the loose.
Neighbours say the aggressive animal had been roaming the street for a number of hours before it attacked the girl as she walked along the pavement with two friends. CCTV footage seen by the M.E.N. shows the dog lunge for the teenager moments after she appeared to bend down to stroke it.
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As she turned and ran, the dog attacked her again, causing her to fall to the pavement. Witnesses said she suffered bite wounds to her arm and leg. The dog then attacked a pizza delivery driver as he got out of his car, neighbours said.
After being bit on the calf he ran into a house.
After spending around 45 minutes hiding under a caravan on the street the dog was shot dead on the doorstep of a terraced house around 20 yards away from where the attacks took place.
One neighbour, who had just pulled up in his car when the first attack took place, said: "The police told me it was an American pitbull. I first saw it about 7pm, just sat on the pavement. I've never seen it before.
"Two teenage girls were walking down the street with a young lad. I think one of the girls tried to interact with it and it just started running after her.
"She fell down and I think that's when it attacked her. She was bleeding from her arm and her leg and she dropped her phone on the pavement.
"Then the delivery driver pulled up. He didn't realise there was a dog on the loose. It went straight for him. My brother was shouting 'run' and he just ran straight into the house opposite.
"The police came and they were trying to coax it out from under the caravan for about 45 minutes. It started walking towards a lady police officer and she Tasered it. The dog started running and they just shot it. I've never seen anything like it, I've never seen a gun being fired before. It was distressing."
Another neighbour who witnessed the dog being shot dead said: "It was brutal, horrible. There were about 20 police officers. They blocked off the road.
"At first I think they shot with him with a Taser. Then I heard another shot. It ran down the street trying to get in all the houses. He was limping. Then they shot him on the doorstep.
"It was so loud. You could still smell the gunpowder about half an hour later.
"My daughter was upstairs. She couldn't stop crying, she was so scared."
Neighbours said they first spotted the black and grey dog roaming the street at around 7pm. Police arrived at about 9.30pm following the attacks and told residents to stay indoors.
One resident said: "The police did a very professional job. They made everyone stay indoors and they gave the dog ample time to calm down.
"This is a busy street. We all sit outside on a night and there's always kids playing. If it had got hold of a kid the consequences could have been a lot worse."
Police say the dog was destroyed due to concerns about the number of people in the area and the injuries caused. No one was seriously injured in the attacks.
In a statement on Saturday GMP said: "At around 9.30pm last night (Friday, August 6), police were called to reports of a dog loose on Morley Street, Rochdale.
"Officers attended and found that two members of the public had been bitten by the dog who was acting in an aggressive manner.
"Unfortunately, due to the nature of the incident, the dog was humanely destroyed as a safety precaution due to the number of people in the area and the injuries caused. Enquiries are ongoing. No serious injuries were reported."
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