Moment police struggle to restrain rampant dog after child gets mauled on London street, in latest canine attack

3 February 2023, 12:43 | Updated: 3 February 2023, 12:45

This is the moment officers struggle to restrain a violent dog as it strains against the leash after biting a child on a street in east London.

The video shows an officer trying to keep the dog down with special equipment, after it attacked a 13-year-old boy near a bus stop on Burdett Road in Mile End on Thursday afternoon.

Police used an animal control pole that looped around the dog's neck to cautiously bring it under control, but it still managed to buck around on the pavement. Another officer stood by with a fire extinguisher.

Footage posted to social media shows the child, who was lying on the ground by the bus stop, being helped by bystanders and officers.

Warning: this video contains strong language

The boy was later taken to hospital and officers said his life was not in danger. Police are still trying to find the dog's owners.

A spokesperson for the Met said: "Police were called by the London Ambulance at about 15:55hrs on Thursday, February 2, to reports of a child bitten by a dog at a bus stop on Burdett Road, E3.Officers attended.

"The 13-year-old boy has been taken to hospital for treatment; his injuries are not life-threatening.

"Enquiries to trace the owner are ongoing. The dog has been recovered by police."

The Mile End mauling is the latest in a string of dog attacks in recent weeks. It came just two days after four-year-old Alice Stones was bitten to death by a family pet in the back garden of their home in Milton Keynes. No arrests have been made in connection with the attack.

Read more: Dog walker, 28, died from ‘multiple penetrating bites to the neck’ in mauling at Surrey beauty spot, inquest hears

Read more: Pictured: Girl, 4, killed by family dog in Milton Keynes attack as neighbours describe mother's 'piercing screams'

And less than a month ago Natasha Johnston, 28, died from "multiple penetrating dog bites to the neck" and a wound to her jugular vein, while walking eight dogs in a Surrey beauty spot.