Police caught a dangerous dog after it attacked a man and ran amok in the city centre.
The Japanese akita growled and snarled at shoppers as it made its way through the city, at one stage rearing up and biting a man in Humberstone Gate.
It then ran off through Town Hall Square, past De Montfort University and into the grounds of Leicester Royal Infirmary, where it was chased into a cul-de-sac.
Police blocked its path with a van, opened a door and managed to get the animal inside.
The alarm had been raised by security company boss Karl Coyle, who spotted the dog in Market Square at 3pm on Thursday.
He managed to keep track of the animal by running alongside it as he contacted the police and CCTV control centre.
Mr Coyle, who has kept an akita, said "It was running through the city centre, snarling and growling at anyone near it."
"It approached a group of people in Humberstone Gate and went towards them.
"It reared up on its hind legs – it must have been 5ft 6in tall – in front of the man. It bit him on the hand and ran off."
Mr Coyle did not see what happened to the man as he was concerned for the safety of other members of the public and kept pace with the dog.
He said: "After it bit the man I was worried that it would attack and kill a child.
"They weigh over 100lb and are very powerful."
He said he was approached by two 14-year-old boys, one of whom said the dog belonged to his father.
Mr Coyle said the boy would not go near the animal himself.
Police want to trace the owner of the dog and to discover how it came to be running through the city streets unsupervised.
They also want to contact the injured man or anyone who saw the incident.
A police spokesman said: "It is believed the dog may have bitten a member of the public.
"It was followed by a security guard to Jarrom Street, where it was contained by officers and taken to kennels.
"The incident is being investigated to ascertain who the owner is and why it was loose."
Roberta Wright, chairman of the national Akita Association, said the breed was used as a guard or hunting dog in Japan.
She said: "It was obviously distressed having got out."
