Armed Met officers shot dead an “out of control” dog on a west London street on Sunday after it killed another animal.
Footage posted on social media showed a firearms officer in a stand-off with the black dog, whose breed is unknown, as it dragged a smaller dog along the pavement in Queens Avenue, Ealing.
A shot is fired at the dog before it runs up the street, pursued by two firearms officers.
Residents can be heard shouting in the background, as a woman on the video says: “They've just shot the dog. Oh my god. S**t.”
In a statement, Scotland Yard confirmed the dog was destroyed to prevent it from causing harm to the public.
“We were called at 10:39hrs on 14 Jan to a report of a dog out of control having killed another dog in Queens Ave, Greenford,” said a Met spokesperson.
“Officers attended and took the decision to destroy the dog at the scene in order to prevent it from causing further serious harm. We know that this will have been upsetting for those present.”
Footage of the incident has been viewed thousands of times on social media.
Last year, footage of police shooting dead two dogs in a canal in Limehouse sparked backlash, with protests later held in the dogs’ memory.
Police were seen in a heated row with the dogs’ owner with one of the black dogs shot dead as it appeared to move forward towards the armed officers.
The force said it was forced to destroy the dogs on scene because their “aggressive behaviour” was of “considerable concern and posed a significant threat to them.”
Vigils were later held by animal rights’ activists outside Scotland Yard in memory of the two dogs, named Millions and Marshal.
