Coyote Caught Trying To Maul 2-year-old Girl Euthanized, Officials Say

A wild coyote which was seen on surveillance footage attacking a 2-year-old girl in front of her Los Angeles home has been put down, wildlife officials announced Sunday.

In the unprovoked attack that occurred on Dec. 2 in the 22400 block of Martha Street, the rogue animal ambushed the toddler as she got out of the car, knocking her to the ground and attempting to drag her away while her father locked the vehicle outside their home.

The entire incident was recorded on the doorbell camera, NBC Los Angeles reported. It showed the father racing to save his daughter as she lay facedown on the ground. He managed to scare the animal away and lifted her from the ground.

The girl wasn't severely injured in the attack except for a few scratches on the leg, as per the outlet. She was taken to a hospital and treated for the injuries.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said officers worked round the clock to track down the coyote in the wooded area and behind the fences and finally located it in the vicinity. They used a DNA sample taken from the girl's pants to positively identify the coyote.

"On Dec. 9, our partners at the USDA Wildlife Services worked with wildlife officers and successfully trapped a coyote in the immediate vicinity of the street where the attack occurred," Patrick Foy, the Public Information Officer with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, told CBS News.

"A DNA sample of the coyote was taken and its DNA profile was compared to the sample taken from the attack victim's pants and was a perfect match," the CDFW said in a statement, according to ABC 7.

"The coyote was euthanized," Foy told CBS News.

The girl's mother said the child was administered a rabies shot at a nearby hospital and was in recovery. The CDFW has since concluded its investigation.

The incident comes after a coyote attacked and seriously injured a toddler girl in the Huntington Beach area of Orange County in May. The child was at the beach with two women and another small child, who were just standing a few feet away when she was attacked. The child, who was possibly bitten in the face by the coyote was rushed to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.