Man out for morning jog attacked by rabid coyote

ROSWELL, Ga. — A man is recovering after being attacked by a coyote Monday morning in Roswell, Georgia.

Bill Goff said that he was out for a run when the animal attacked.

"I looked down and grabbed him by the neck and pushed down. Trying to get him off the leg. And then when I got him pinned down I realized it wasn't a dog. It was a coyote," Goff said.

WSB-TV obtained a picture taken by emergency personnel after the attack. The coyote is clearly visible.

"I've been jogging for five years, never imagined that I would be taken down by an animal, least of all a coyote," Goff said. "He was growling when he was biting on my leg."

A bandage remains on Goff's leg where the coyote bit him.

While a neighbor called 911, Goff pinned the animal to the ground for 20 minutes until help arrived.

"I had him pretty well dazed. I was choking him pretty tightly. I didn't want to let go and have him bite me again," Goff said.

Darryl Carver with the Fulton County Department of External Affairs said in an emailed statement that police "responded, fatally wounding the animal and calling Fulton County Animal Control officers to the scene to remove it."

Carver said the coyote "was sent to a lab for testing where it was determined that it tested positive for rabies. The victim is currently receiving treatment for exposure to rabies as a result."

Goff said Roswell police and animal control both told him that coyote attacks are extremely rare in the area.

Fulton County Animal Control will be distributing flyers in the area to alert residents and provide information on rabies and how to respond to any animals with the disease.

Cox Media Group