“I Had to Be There to Save My Son”: Father Describes Fighting Off Coyote That Bit 5-Year-Old Boy

The Bay Area father of a 5-year-old boy bitten by a coyote on Christmas Day fought the animal off his son with a scooter.

Fremont resident Mayur Parnerkar said the attack happened at about 5:30 p.m. when his son, Prathmesh, went outside to meet his friends on the sidewalk. Parnerkar decided to check on his son one last time before closing the door when he saw an animal approaching.

"I thought it might be a dog, but then I got suspicious because there was no owner," Parnerkar said.

When Parnerkar realized the animal was a coyote, he ran to his son.

"The coyote come, and then he attacked me," said Prathmesh, who was bitten by the animal on his left thigh.

Parnerkar took his son's scooter and threw it toward the coyote, and while he fought off the coyote, his wife then grabbed their son. The father kept himself between his family and the coyote, easing back toward their home.

"I had to be there to save my son," he said. "He was so aggressive. He was looking into my eyes, and completely -- I was shaken."

After a two-minute stare-down with the animal, the family made it safely inside.

Parnerkar said the Alameda County Public Health Office called to report the coyote was tested and did not have rabies.

Police said the coyote, which was eventually killed by officers, was responsible for another attack on Christmas Day. The animal bit a 42-year-old man while he was walking to his car on the 3100 block of Starr Street, just near where Prathmesh was attacked, police said.

Officers also responded to another report of a coyote attack at 6:28 p.m. The caller told police that he was running near his home on Montevideo Circle, when what he described as a wolf began to chase him.

The man was able to kick off the animal and safely return to his home, police said.

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