A wild boar was put down after it bolted through a busy street in a public area and injured several people.

Footage shows the animal charging towards petrified pedestrians and bikers as they ran for their lives in the Jiangbei area in the city of Nanjing, in China's Jiangsu province.

The wild boar reportedly stormed towards the crowd at around 4 pm on Friday, December 8, prompting six people to alert police about the incident within 20 minutes.

Local media reported that the animal was first seen in the 10th block of the Tianrun area after it broke an individual's ribs by knocking him from behind at around 4:10 pm.

Five minutes later, it attacked a four-year-old boy, leaving him with an open wound on his right knee.

At around 4:30 pm, the beast reached the sixth block of the city and attacked a third citizen. The man reportedly suffered a fractured kneecap.

After the series of incidents, police rushed to the scene and put the wild boar to sleep in order to ensure the locals' safety and prevent it from attacking other people.

A second video shows deputies running in the direction of the animal after it was barricaded in a fenced area, just moments before it was shot.

A resident told local media: 'Wild boars are very wild and ferocious, and the police dealt with them promptly.

'The urban ecology has changed, and there are more wild animals. Although animals must be protected, people who are injured still need to be taken care of.'