Coyote Attacks Toddler Few Feet Away From Adults At California Beach [Video]

A toddler was attacked and seriously injured by a coyote lurking around at a California beach. A surveillance camera in the area captured the terrifying moment.

The young girl, whose age was not revealed, was with two women and another small child when she was attacked at Huntington Beach last week, officials said. The video of the incident showed the animal pouncing on the child and knocking her down on the sand, according to 7NEWS Australia.

Officers arrived at the scene after receiving reports of the attack on April 28 at around 10 p.m.

The injured girl, who may have been bitten in the face by the coyote, was hospitalized after the attack. She did not sustain life-threatening injuries.

Some viewers might find this video disturbing.

Captain Patrick Foy of California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife said the child was “a mere few feet” away from the two women and the other child when the attack took place. Surfline.com's surveillance footage appeared to show the women taking several seconds to realize the child was being attacked. The coyote eventually ran away from the child.

Beachgoer, Garie Joncon, said he saw the coyote before the attack took place.

"It was all the way over here went under and then came back," Joncon told ABC7. "We saw it and then all of a sudden it went in by this family and there was a kid on the ground, and then like five minutes later, we walked back, the whole crowd around the baby. The baby evidently got like bit."

Foy said a coyote was found dead on the beach Friday morning. Another coyote was also spotted Friday afternoon under a trailer and was euthanized, Foy added. It is still unclear whether either of these coyotes was involved in the attack.

Police said in a news release that the carcass would be sent to a laboratory, and wildlife forensics scientists would "attempt to compare the samples of DNA from either of the carcasses to that of the samples taken from the victim’s bite wounds,” according to 7NEWS Australia.

Regular visitors at the beach said it is common to spot coyotes in the area.

“We see them every single time,” Eric Brown, who runs several times at the beach every week, told the outlet. “Usually, they chase us. I’ve never seen more than one chase us at a time. Your initial thought is they’re playing, but I do carry a very bright flashlight and pepper spray.”