California Beach Video Catches Coyote Attack On Toddler

A surf camera captured the moment when a coyote rushed onto a California beach and attacked a toddler. Two adults and another child were feet away when the coyote made the brazen attack, seriously injuring the child, who was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

The coyote leaped at the child’s chest and face and then was on top of the child. The attack lasted for about 15 seconds before the child’s mom turned around and saw what was happening. Witnesses say the coyote twice moved back toward the people before leaving the area. The child’s injuries included bites to the face, according to various news reports.

A video from Fox 11 Los Angeles is below.

The April 28 attack on Huntington Beach is not an isolated event in California. In 2020, there were coyote attacks in the City of Industry and in Brentwood in Los Angeles County, a 6-year-old girl was attacked in Alameda County, and a 91-year-old man was bitten by a coyote on Laguna Beach. In 2018, a 3-year-old was attacked in Placentia, California.

“Coyotes are looking for the easier prey. Make no mistake, they see small children as prey,” said Capt. Patrick Foy of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in an Orange County Register article about the 3-year-old’s attack.

Hiker Attacked By Coyote In Middle Georgia

A California Department of Fish and Wildlife report on Southern California coyote attacks from 2012 to 2016 identified 50 instances where people were bitten by coyotes in the four-year period.

The last reported coyote-attack fatality in California was 3-year-old Kelly Keen, who was grabbed by a coyote from her Glendale driveway and dragged across the street before her father chased the animal away. She died in the hospital after suffering a broken neck and substantial blood loss.

Last Tuesday, a 2-year-old toddler in Dallas, Texas was attacked and critically injured by a coyote on the family’s front porch. A responding officer from the Dallas Police Department shot at the coyote in a nearby park, but apparently missed. The coyote was last seen running into nearby woods.