PRESCOTT, Ariz. — The Prescott Police Department is warning residents to be on the alert for an aggressive coyote that has allegedly attacked multiple people in recent weeks.
On Oct. 17, officers were dispatched to a neighborhood near Smoke Tree Lane for reports of a coyote attacking a resident and their dog.
Joe Baker lives in the area. Baker has four small dogs that he would normally walk down the walking path along Smoke Tree Lane.
“One of our good friends was bitten in the back of the leg by a coyote that snuck up on her,” Baker said.
Now Baker keeps his dogs on a leash, walking them around his front yard.
Law enforcement agents with the Prescott Police Department, animal control, Game and Fish Department, and the United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services are all looking into the coyote activity in the Prescott Lakes subdivision.
During their investigations, officers later learned about another bite victim and three other encounters involving an aggressive coyote attacking residents in the same area. The incidents have involved the coyote nipping at the legs and feet of the victims.
“Normally it’s sightings,” said Lt. Cory Kasun of the Prescott Police Department. “[Coyote] Sightings are not uncommon but to have conflict, that is uncommon.”
One resident, a 62-year-old woman, was bitten on their lower calf and treated at the local hospital for minor injuries and possible exposure to rabies, police said.
That attack has Baker’s neighbors on edge.
“I think there are people now who are not walking on the path that’s over here on Smoke Tree [Lane] because of the closeness of the attacks,” said Baker. “You do see some people carrying sticks and things like that to hopefully chase them away and I haven’t seen a small dog out here for two or three days.”
Officials suspect the same coyote may be responsible for all of the attacks. A Wildlife Services Officer encountered an aggressive coyote in the area. That coyote was euthanized and tested for rabies. Police are expecting the results in a matter of days.
Prescott police said residents should be on the lookout for any wild animals behaving aggressively.
Anyone with information about the coyote can call 928-445-3131.
RELATED: Man springs into action to save a dog from a coyote after losing his own just weeks earlier
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