A coyote at the Exotic Feline Rescue Center on Wednesday, May 8, 2025.
La Jolla, California – The quiet night outside the UTC Mall exploded into panic Tuesday when a coyote lunged out of the dark and attacked two children, leaving a 3-year-old girl with bite wounds and a shaken neighborhood demanding answers.
The attack unfolded around 9 p.m. near the busy shopping center, where families often walk after dinner. Instead, they found themselves scrambling for safety as the animal struck without warning.
San Diego police confirmed the young girl was bitten on her hip and arm, injuries serious enough to send her straight to Rady Children’s Hospital. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife later confirmed a second child was also injured, though officials have not yet released details on the extent of those wounds.
By the time first responders swarmed the area, the coyote had already vanished back into the night, slipping into the maze of brush and development that surrounds the mall.
“It’s very uncommon for coyotes to want to approach people,” said Angela Hernandez-Cusick, Wildlife Rehabilitation Supervisor with the San Diego Humane Society. “They’re naturally afraid of humans. But a young coyote leaving its family and trying to carve out territory can behave unpredictably.”
And UTC is exactly the kind of place that attracts an opportunistic predator — trash bins overflowing behind restaurants, scraps left out, and the steady hum of crowds that can dull a wild animal’s caution.
Hernandez-Cusick said the animal may have mistaken movement for prey, or reacted defensively if startled. “We can’t know exactly what triggered the attack, but something in that moment set it off.”
The incident has renewed local fears about rising human-wildlife encounters as development continues pushing deeper into San Diego’s natural spaces. Residents walking dogs or strolling with kids near canyons have long traded cautionary tales — but attacks remain rare.
This one, though, hit close to home. Families are rattled, officials are on alert, and a coyote with a taste for confrontation is still somewhere out there.
Wildlife officers plan to increase patrols and monitor the area, while parents across La Jolla are left gripping their children’s hands a little tighter.
