A suspected XL Bully has been killed by armed police after going on a rampage and injuring four people in Battersea. 

Shocking footage on social media shows four men fending off the ‘dangerously out of control’ dog after it got into a frenzy on close to Battersea Park Road at around 10pm on Monday,

One man can be seen hitting the dog with a bike helmet while another tries to subdue the animal with a blanket, before it was shot by armed police due to the threat that it posed to the public. 

Four men were later taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries following the horrific attack. 

A 22-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman have also been arrested on suspicion of being the owner/person in charge of a dog dangerously out of control and both remain in custody. 

Footage from social media shows the moment an ‘out of control’ XL Bully attacked four men as they tried to fend the animal off

One lad can be seen hitting it with a bike helmet while another tries to subdue the animal with a blanket

The four men can be seen trying the subdue to the dog as it continues to lunge forward

The attack took place close to a bus stop outside Battersea Methodist Church on a section of the A3205. There are also a number of children’s nurseries in the area as well as the Falconbrook Primary School. 

Footage of the horrific attack was filmed from a block of nearby flats in the neighbourhood, where the average house prices sell for around £500,000. 

A Met spokesman said: ‘Police were called to reports of a dog – described as an XL Bully – that was dangerously out of control and attacking people in the vicinity of Home Road, SW11.

‘Due to the threat posed to the public by the dog, armed officers attended. After assessing the situation, officers took the difficult decision to destroy the dog and it was shot.

‘Four men – all members of the public – were taken to hospital for treatment to injuries sustained during the dog attack. None of their injuries are life-threatening. 

‘Officers subsequently arrested two people – a 22-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman – on suspicion of being the owner/person in charge of a dog dangerously out of control. Both remain in custody. 

‘Enquiries continue to establish the circumstances of the incident. An examination of the dog will take place to establish its specific breed. 

‘Anyone with information that could assist police is asked to call 101 or ‘X’ @MetCC and quote CAD7620/19Mar.’

From February 1, it became a criminal offence to own the XL bully breed in England and Wales without an exemption certificate.

Anyone who owns one of the dogs must have had the animal neutered, have it microchipped and keep it muzzled and on a lead in public, among other restrictions.

Met police officers later descended on the scene near Battersea Park Road at 10pm on Monday

Four men were later taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries following the attack

MP for Battersea Marsha de Cordova said on X: ‘I am deeply concerned to hear about the XL bully dog attack that happened on Battersea Park Road yesterday evening. 

‘My thoughts and prayers are with the victims injured in the attack, and for their full recovery. I am in contact with the police and their enquiries are ongoing. 

‘New laws have come into force that make it illegal to own an American XL Bully dog without an exemption certificate. It is vital that there is strong enforcement to make sure owners comply with the legislation.’

It comes just weeks after another unmuzzled XL Bully launched an ‘unprovoked’ attack on a mother and her two children in Battersea park last month.

The dog attacked the women and her children, aged one and two, as they entered the playground at Latchmere Recreation Ground, south London on February 2.

The woman – who wished to remain anonymous – claims the unleashed XL Bully ‘launched itself on the pram’ carrying her one-year-old daughter, tipping it over and biting the child.