VIDEO: Rabid coyote growls, attacks car in Huntersville
HUNTERSVILLE, NC (FOX 46 WJZY) - CMPD Animal Control confirms a coyote who came dangerously close to a father and daughter while driving in Huntersville Saturday night had rabies.
John Schroter and his daughter were in the Vermillion neighborhood when they encountered the infected beast.
"It was like a horror movie, how he comes into frame with that bloody chin and snarly growl, said Schroter.
"That was really scary. I was really freaking out," said his daughter, Summer.
Video of that encounter shows the rabid coyote poking around a house fence before approaching the Schroter's vehicle. The animal appears to walk around the vehicle before the video goes dark in an attempt to follow the creature. Suddenly, the camera pans and a coyote with eyes glaring and teeth showing appears in the cars headlights.
Schroter said the coyote actually started to attack his car before taking off down the street.
"There was blood from his nose and there were bite marks and a blood streak," Schroter added.
FOX 46 Charlotte learned that Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Control was able to tranquilize and then later humanely euthanize the rabid animal.
The coyote was sent to the state lab in Raleigh where it was confirmed it had been infected. Animal control believes there aren't any other coyotes in the area.
This isn't the first time a coyote has been spotted in a local neighborhood. Last month, a man's home surveillance cameras caught several coyotes behind his Ballantyne home.
Coyotes are native to all of North America, Mexico and Central America and usually grow between 25 to 45 pounds.