Coyote, put down after series of attacks in Rockville, tests positive for rabies

ROCKVILLE, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - A coyote that was put down by authorities Thursday after attacking at least three people in Rockville has tested positive for rabies. 

The Rockville City Police Department says at around 10 a.m., officers responded to a scene on Winder Court to assist a 59-year-old woman and her dog, who they say were attacked by a coyote.

READ MORE: Coyote that attacked multiple Rockville residents shot, killed, police say

Police say the woman was transported to a local hospital with bites and lacerations to her arms. She has since been treated and released. Her dog, who they say was bitten on his leg, remains under quarantine as a precaution.

After the woman was attacked, police say they received several reports from other people who say they saw the coyote in the Woodley Gardens and Fallsgrove communities.

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At around 3:30 p.m., police say officers responded to a report of a 12-year-old boy who had been bitten by a coyote along the Upper Watts Branch Trail at Nelson St. and College Pkwy.

Police say the boy had serious bites and laceration to both legs. He was transported to Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where he underwent treatment for his injuries. He has since been released from the hospital.

Police say at around 4:15 p.m., officers responded to the area of Redland Rd. at Gaither Rd. to assist a 39-year-old woman who had been bitten on her arm and hand by a coyote. She was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. She has also been released from the hospital.

Around 30 minutes later, at 4:45 p.m., police say an officer encountered the coyote near an underground storm drain along West Gude Dr. The coyote charged at the officer, who they say was forced to fire his firearm, striking and injuring the animal. Police say the coyote then ran into a heavily wooded area near Aster Blvd. and Carnation Dr.

Police say two officers with the Montgomery County Police Managed Search Operations Team then used a thermal imaging camera to locate the coyote and eventually put it down.

“Due to the aggressiveness of this animal, and the fact that three individuals were severely attacked, one being a child, we made the decision to put the coyote down out of an abundance of caution,” said Rockville City Police Chief Victor Brito in a statement Friday. “Our utmost concern will always be the safety of the community and its residents.”

Police say the coyote was taken to the Maryland Department of Health where it tested positive for rabies.