ATLANTICS BEACH, Fla. (WFLA) – Police believe filming and killing coyotes could have stopped a series of extraordinary attacks taking place in Atlantic Beach.
Atlantic Beach police said the animal coincided with the explanation of the coyote, who had terrorized residents in the area of Begonia Avenue.
“Not Safe”: 3-Coyote Attacks reported in Florida Beach Town over two days
NBC affiliate WLTV spoke with one of the victims who said they had to fight the coyotes while walking to work Wednesday morning. Thomas Cathy, the third person to be attacked within two days, was left with multiple bloody bite marks and bruises.
“The kids wouldn’t have survived that,” Kathy said. “He fought harder than the guy had previously fought me.”
Two more encounters were reported, with five total attacks, officials said after reporters spoke with Cathy on Wednesday. The dog was among the injured.
“The behavior of this animal is unusual, and the fact that they involved different people five times in such a short period of time could have meant that the animal was sick or that the animal was used to treat humans as a food source,” police Victor Guarillo said at a press conference Thursday.
Officers said they found and shot coyotes late Wednesday night near Begonia Avenue and Sixth Avenue, but they escaped. The next morning they recovered the animal’s bodies under an abandoned car.
“I’m sure this is probably a coyote that’s been there in the last few days,” Guarillo said. “They’re almost the same height. They’re generally about the same size. I’m not 100%, but I believe that it’s the look and some of the videos I received from the ring camera.”
The police chief said the coyote’s body was intact enough to test for rabies. Mayor Curtis Ford also confirmed that it looked like a female coyote.
“I hope everyone can agree, this had to go,” Ford said at a press conference Thursday. “I said before, this coyote was sick or had very bad manners.”
