News Beat
No wider risk to public after Foxwood dog attack, says cllr
Westfield ward councillor Jo Coles said it was “really reassuring” that armed police “responded quickly” to the incident in the Bellhouse Way area of Foxwood on Friday afternoon (December 5).
The Labour councillor, who is also North Yorkshire’s deputy mayor policing, fire and crime, said the attack had not stopped people from walking in the residential area on Saturday morning.
“I’ve seen loads of dog walkers out this morning,” Cllr Coles told The Press on Saturday morning. “The vast majority of people with dogs in this area are completely responsible and look after their dogs completely well.
“We’ve got loads of green spaces for people to walk their dogs but, obviously, it is really important that if there are a very small minority of people who aren’t looking after their dogs properly that the police are able to respond, which is what they did yesterday.”
She added: “It’s really reassuring that the police have responded quickly and there’s no risk to the public.”
North Yorkshire Police said it received reports of several dogs running loose in the street in the Bellhouse Way area at around 3.15pm on Friday.
One of the dogs, described as a large Alsation-type dog, had bitten a member of the public on the leg causing deep lacerations and then went on to chase a delivery driver who was in the area, the force said.
The man who was bitten on the leg required hospital treatment to his injuries.
A police spokesperson said firearms officers were deployed “due to the serious risk of ranger to other members of the public” and closed the road to “protect the public” while searching for the dog. The road reopened at 4.30pm.
The spokesperson said the dog was found on a driveway of a property and “due to its agitated and aggressive state, a firearms officer was instructed to put the dog down due to serious public safety concerns”.
They said police arrested a man in his 50s on suspicion of owning a dangerous dog which is out of control causing injury. He was taken into police custody on Friday.
