A family outing with a toddler and two pet dogs turned into a scene of terror on an Australian street when two pit bulls attacked them without warning, killing one dog and prompting a police search for one of the animals.

The family was walking their two small dogs and their toddler in a pram at Raeburn Reserve on Landells Rd in Pascoe Vale in Melbourne on Friday morning when two pit bulls ran across the road towards them.

It was 8.40am in the morning when the pit bulls attacked one of the couple’s small dogs, mauling it to death.

The incident, captured in CCTV footage of a nearby home, showed the couple scrambling to save their dogs as well as the moment when the dogs came frantically running across the street.

The man got bitten while trying to save his dog. The man required medical treatment while the woman, the toddler and the couple’s other small dog were not physically hurt.

Two members of the public also stepped in to help. The police have issued an alert for residents not to approach the dog and to immediately call an emergency number upon spotting it.

“The two pit bulls killed the little dog and injured its owner when they tried to stop the attack,” Victoria Police said.

The two pit bulls ran from the scene after killing the dog, sparking a police search. A short time later, police found one of the pit bulls nearby while another remains missing.

“It was safely secured and seized by a ranger,” Victoria Police said, adding that they have identified the owner of both the attacking dogs.

Veterinary nurse Terri, who was only quoted by her first name, described the scene, saying she heard the small dog “screaming in pain” and rushed outside to help.

“There were two men hitting and kicking at them, trying to make them let go, and the poor woman with the baby in the pram, she was hysterical,” she told the Herald Sun.

“It was a nightmare, there was blood everywhere … One of the men had bite marks all over his hands, and I think his arm as well.”

Police have urged residents to stay alert and not to approach it when they spot it. The residents have been asked to dial triple zero if they spot the second pit bull.

“Merri-Bek Council will investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident,” police said.