Stonnall dog attack: Tributes to Ian Price, 52, after he’s mauled to death by two ‘XL Bully’ dogs
A MAN who was mauled to death XL Bully dogs while reportedly protecting his elderly mum from the beasts has been named.
Brave passers-by tried to rip the dogs off Ian Price, 52, after they attacked him at around 3.12pm yesterday in Stonall, Staffordshire.
Mr Price died while reportedly protecting his elderly mum from the beasts after they leapt from a neighbour’s window.
Nearby St Peter’s Primary Academy was placed on lockdown, with terrified children prevented from leaving “for safety reasons”.
Emergency services including an air ambulance were scrambled – but it has now been sadly confirmed that Mr Price died from his injuries.
The Sun understands that the dogs were XL Bullys which escaped from a neighbour’s house.
Their owner has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, a police spokesman confirmed.
A witness told The Sun: “I saw it. It was so awful I can barely talk about it – but he was mauled to death and it was just horrendous.
“The dogs live next door. They have been there about a year.
“They got through the hedge behind the house and appeared in the elderly lady’s garden. Her son had gone out to protect her.
“We think the dogs were at home on their own because there were no cars outside at the time. I guess they escaped through a window.
She added: “Both dogs set on him. Neighbours came out to help but many stood on this side of the fence because they were too frightened to get involved.
“One brave man got a big stick and was hitting the dogs and trying to get them off but the dogs just took no notice. They were in a frenzy.
“Eventually he got one of the dogs off the man and the other ran back through the hedge to its home – but by then it had been going on for 15 to 20 minutes.”
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “Upon arrival we found a man who had sustained multiple life-threatening injuries and was in a critical condition.
“Ambulance staff administered advanced life support and advanced trauma care to him at the scene.
“Treatment continued en route to Queen Elizabeth Hospital where he was conveyed by land ambulance for further treatment.
“Unfortunately, after arrival at hospital, despite the best efforts it became clear that nothing more could be done to save him he was confirmed deceased.”
Do you know anything more about the attack? Email Harry Goodwin: harry.goodwin@the-sun.co.uk
A 30-year-old man from the Lichfield area has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.
Members of the public tackled one of the dogs after the attack – with the other dog eventually locked away in the owner’s flat.
It comes as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced this morning that XL Bully dogs will be banned by the end of this year.
Fatal dog attacks in 2023
Five people have died in dog attacks this year:
- Natasha Johnston, 28 – killed by a pack of dogs in Surrey in January
- Alice Stones, 4 – attacked in her back garden in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire in February
- Wayne Stevens, 51 – mauled by an “out-of-control” dog in Derby in April
- Jonathan Hogg, 37 – savaged to death by an American XL Bully in Leigh in May
- Woman in her 70s – mauled to death as she sunbathed in her Warwickshire garden