A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a man attacked in Sunderland by a dog, thought to be an XL bully, died of his injuries.
Northumbria Police said it received a report of a dog attack at a property in Maple Terrace in Shiney Row, Sunderland, at 6.55pm on Tuesday.
A 54-year-old man was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing paramedics working on the man’s badly injured throat.
Northumbria Police confirmed on Wednesday morning the man later died of his injuries in hospital.
A 44-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Following the victim’s death, the suspect was re-arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in police custody.
The dog was shot by police at the scene “to ensure the safety of the public”, Northumbria Police said.
“While further assessment will be carried out, officers believe the dog to be an XL bully breed,” the force added.
A second dog was also seized from the address as a precaution, police said.
A local dog owner, who asked not to be named, said he had frequently seen two XL bullies being walked in the area.
“I have seen the two dogs before,” he said. “They are well known in the area, an older one and a younger one. They shot the older one in the yard.”
A large police cordon remained in place on Maple Terrace and neighbouring Lowerson Avenue on Wednesday.
The attack came as the Government looks to ban American XL bully dogs in response to a series of similar incidents.
Last month, 52-year-old Ian Price was mauled to death in Walsall, West Midlands, by two XL bullies.
On March 22, a group of pregnant sheep were killed on a farm near Wrexham, while on September 9 an 11-year-old girl and a man were attacked in Birmingham, in an incident Home Secretary Suella Braverman described as “appalling”.
On Monday, a toddler was injured after he was attacked by a dog thought to be an XL bully outside a Hilton hotel in Catherine Grove, Greenwich.
Police said the 20-month-old boy was taken to hospital. His injuries were not life-threatening or life-changing.
A man, aged 30, has been charged with allowing a dog to be dangerously out of control.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last month promised to ban XL bullies under the Dangerous Dogs Act by the end of the year.
An official spokesman for Mr Sunak said a “transition period” would be introduced, with details likely to follow a consultation on the plan.
Owners could face a requirement to neuter their dogs and muzzle them in public, the Government’s chief vet has suggested.
