A knife-wielding dog owner set his pet on a 15-year-old during an attempted robbery in Hanworth in Hounslow.
The teenager was attacked on Tuesday night as he walked through the recreation ground, on Bear Road, at 10.50pm, and needed hospital treatment for bites to his inner thigh and slash wounds to his forearm.
As he walked past three black youths sitting in the playground one of the them, who had a small, black staffordshire terrier with him, followed the victim and said: "What have you got for me?"
The suspect then let go of the dog's lead and it bit into the victim's left leg. The mugger then pulled out a large Bowie knife from a sheath on his left side and started waving it around.
The victim eventually escaped and was treated at West Middlesex Hospital before being sent home.
The main suspect is a dark-skinned black male, aged around 17 years, 5ft 11in, wearing a striped jumper and dark trousers. He had a large diamond stud in his left ear. His dog wore a chunky chain lead with a dark brown leather handle.
Det Insp Jeff Minns, of Hounslow CID, said: "This was an appalling attack on a young guy, minding his own business, and completely without any provocation. The suspects involved need to be arrested as soon as possible."
Please contact Hounslow Police on 0208 247 6133/6132 or Crime Stoppers 0800555111 with any information.
