Coyote that bit 3-year-old girl at Placentia park is found, shot dead by police

A coyote that bit a 3-year-old girl in Placentia was found and shot by police officers on the afternoon of Monday, Nov. 19.

Callers reported the incident to authorities at about 1:30 p.m. near Parque del Arroyo Verde at 1001 E. Palm Dr., according to a news release from the Placentia Police Department. A witness told responding officers that the coyote had tried to bite other people and was still roaming nearby.

The child who was attacked Monday was bitten in the head. She was treated at a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and is expected to recover, according to Placentia Police Sgt. Adame Gloe. No other people were harmed, according to the department’s release.

Police found the animal in a residential area just east of the park and shot it. The coyote died and was taken by Orange County Animal Care.

It is typical for Animal Care experts to examine wild canines that bite residents for rabies, according to Gloe. He said these types of cases are rare in the area, and could not recall the last time a resident was attacked by a wild animal in Placentia.

However, a woman told videographers Monday that  she had been walking several dogs in the area a month prior when a coyote attacked one of the pets and killed it.

“I feel very nervous and a little scared because I don’t want to walk outside at night, or even in the day,” she said. “I’m scared about my animals getting attacked.”