Hartcliffe dog attack: Residents saw ‘masses of police cars’ and men’s legs ‘covered in blood’

A man was arrested in connection with the incident
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Shocked residents have described the moment they saw two men ‘covered in blood’ after being attacked by dogs in the Hartcliffe area of Bristol.

‘Masses’ of armed police descended on land near The Groves after a patrol car was flagged down by the wounded men on Bishport Avenue at around 10.50am on Easter Sunday (April 17).

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People living nearby were told to stay indoors as a search for the pair of dogs who are believed to have attacked the men ensued.

The dogs were eventually located and seized yesterday evening.

Avon and Somerset Police released these images of the two dogs and warned residents to stay indoors until they were seized.Avon and Somerset Police released these images of the two dogs and warned residents to stay indoors until they were seized.
Avon and Somerset Police released these images of the two dogs and warned residents to stay indoors until they were seized.

One woman pushing a pram near a stretch of parkland next to The Groves, known locally as ‘The Dundry’s’, told BristolWorld: “Having two small kids, I was a bit wary about coming out today, but I saw online that the dogs had been captured.

“Thank god there were no kids walking around at the time.”

But one man, who gave his name as Gary, told us he thought people were ‘overreacting’ over the attack.

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He said: “These dogs were tiny. It’s not like they were lions or tigers. I could have picked one up and threw it over the hedge.

The Groves in Hartcliffe.The Groves in Hartcliffe.
The Groves in Hartcliffe.

“Yet there were all these armed police walking around. Moutain out of a molehill. A load of fuss over nothing.”

But a woman BristolWorld spoke to outside the nearby McColls shop, who did not want to be named, said: “It wasn’t ‘nothing’ at all.

“I’ve seen the injuries one of the men shared online and they were covered in blood.

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“There were masses of police cars all around this area, too many to count. You don’t get that many police cars sent out for nothing.

“I heard that the men had to jump over a tall wooden fence to escape. Imagine if it had been a pensioner or a child, they may not have been so lucky.”

Another man, who did not want to be named, agreed: “I was there and it was really bad.

Residents think the majority of the attack took place on an area known locally as ‘The Dundrys’Residents think the majority of the attack took place on an area known locally as ‘The Dundrys’
Residents think the majority of the attack took place on an area known locally as ‘The Dundrys’

“The men’s legs were covered in blood. Puncture wounds, it looked like.”

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The men were taken to hospital for treament for their injuries, which were not life-threatening.

Avon and Somerset Police confirmed a man had been arrested in connection with the incident and that he has since been released under investigation.