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A “repeat offender” coyote has been captured and euthanized after being caught on camera biting and attempting to drag away a 4-year-old boy standing in his grandparents’ driveway in Southern California earlier this week.
Four-year-old Solomon suffered seven puncture wounds on his legs and torso after the coyote bit and attempted to drag the young boy away in heart-stopping video caught on surveillance camera.
“I just hear him screaming, and I turn around, and I scream as well because I see the coyote on top of him,” Solomon’s mother, Sarina Donohoo, told FOX 11 Los Angeles.
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“He bit me,” Solomon said. “He tried to drag me.”
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife believes the animal may be responsible for even more attacks than initially believed, according to reporting from FOX 11 Los Angeles.
The coyote may have been a “repeat offender,” linked to two additional victims reporting attacks March 26 and March 30. According to FOX 11, DNA testing linked the coyote to a separate attack on a child Feb. 11 near an elementary school.
Wildlife authorities confirmed with FOX 11 that the coyote was “humanely euthanized” Thursday using “standard protocol” for animals that attack humans.
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“For a wild animal to walk up into your yard and try to snatch your grandchild, it’s like the most horrific thing in the world,” Solomon’s grandmother and property owner Stephanie Fields added.
The incident happened early in the morning, just before 9 a.m., as the boy’s mother was unloading groceries from her vehicle.
“I was so scared because I know how bad it could have been,” Sarina said, recalling the chilling incident. “My initial response was just, ‘I need to get him away.’”
Grandfather Stanley Fields shared that little Solomon is now undergoing a series of rabies treatments.
“He got nipped three times, and now he’s going through rabies protocol,” Stanley said. “He’s 4 years old, and I just think it was a little much for a young child to experience.”
A neighbor who operates a nearby daycare told FOX 11 she now carries an air horn and a golf club for protection in the area.
Authorities have urged residents in the neighborhood to “remain vigilant” as officials confirm whether other aggressive coyotes remain in the area, according to FOX 11.
Other recommendations for residents include supervising small children, especially outdoors, and using loud noises like air horns to deter wild animals. Residents are also encouraged to secure any food waste and trash bins.
Authorities encourage witnesses to call the Carson Sheriff’s Station at 310-830-1123 for coyote attacks or California Fish & Wildlife at 858-467-4257 for coyote sightings.
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