4-year-old girl bitten by coyote in Mesa neighborhood; coyote killed by police

MESA, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) - A little girl is recovering after police say a coyote bit her on the head outside her home in Mesa.

It happened around 9:15 a.m. Friday in a neighborhood in the area of 72nd Street and Portobello Avenue. Police say the 4-year-old girl was playing in the front yard with her siblings when the attack occurred. Officers arrived after the girl’s parents took her to the hospital and began tracking the coyote through the area.

Maricopa County sheriff’s deputies and Arizona Game and Fish officers also responded while Mesa police tried to keep an eye on the coyote for more than an hour as it ran through residential areas. The coyote was later spotted north of the girl’s home along a canal near 72nd Street and Guadalupe Road just after 10:30 a.m., and was shot and killed by a Mesa officer. Arizona Game and Fish has taken the coyote to be tested for rabies and other illnesses.

Police say the little girl was not seriously injured.

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.

Copyright 2023 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.