Harrowing moment: A coyote attacks an Arizona boy on the driveway of his family’s $2.1 million home as the surgeon mom walks nearby, before escaping to the playground where he attacked ANOTHER child
- Home security footage captured a coyote attacking the boy in Scottsdale, Arizona
- The boy’s mother Kelly Pirozzi was unloading her car when the beast attacked her
- Half a mile away, another young child was mauled by the coyote near a playground.
This is the harrowing moment an Arizona boy is attacked by a coyote while his mother is nearby, before he escapes and attacks another boy on a nearby playground.
Authorities are still searching for the beast after it terrorized the city of Scottsdale, north of Phoenix, on Wednesday.
Kelly Pirozzi, the boy’s mother, said ABC News she was standing in the driveway of her impressive $2.1 million four-bedroom, five-bathroom home when the animal attacked her 21-month-old son, biting him on the arm before she could free him.
“It happened so fast,” the surgeon said, revealing that the young man thankfully only suffered minor bite marks from the gruesome ambush.
Terrifying footage captured the lead up to the attack, where the 21-month-old boy unknowingly became the target of a bloodthirsty coyote.
The wild dog was seen lunging at the boy after he wandered into the shadows.
Fortunately, the 21-month-old victim, in the center, was left relatively uninjured, suffering only minor bite marks.
Pirozzi, a specialist in podiatric surgery in the area, was able to capture footage of the attack on her home’s security camera.
Turning away from her to unload her car, the mother’s 21-month-old son walked slowly toward her $2.1 million Scottsdale home.
But a coyote caught him from inside the bushes and is seen moving steadily towards the boy as he wanders into the shadows.
After lunging at him and grabbing his arm, Pirozzi said the animal finally released him after he screamed in terror.
Video later caught the coyote hauntingly scanning the area as it returned to the scene.
Kelly Pirozzi, right, a specialist in podiatric surgery in the Scottsdale area, said the attack “happened so fast.”
The attack occurred as Pirozzi was unloading his car at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona.
But after the attack, another little boy on a playground near an elementary school was also attacked by a coyote just half a mile away.
Authorities believe the same coyote was behind both attacks, with the second victim suffering several “scratch marks on her stomach,” according to Darren Julian, urban wildlife specialist for Arizona Game and Fish.
With the attacks occurring in quick succession, Julian warned parents in the area to be “very vigilant” while the threat is still on the loose.
The Arizona Department of Game and Fish said in a statement that this “coyote shows little fear of people and may have been illegally fed in the past.”
The agency added that it is patrolling the area with the help of Scottsdale police.
However, even though officials have so far been unable to locate the feral dog, the wildlife specialist insisted coyote attacks are rare and the latest incidents are the first in the Phoenix area since 2017.
Officials also warn that feeding coyotes can make them lose their fear of humans and increase the risk of attack.
People who live in areas where wild dogs roam have also been told to keep pets indoors, as the creatures have been known to prey on dogs, cats, or other small mammals.
