DNA testing later confirmed that a coyote euthanized by state wildlife officers was the animal involved in the Atwater Village attack.
LOS ANGELES, CA — A 16-month-old child was taken to a hospital after being attacked by a coyote in Los Angeles’ Atwater Village neighborhood, an encounter that came after residents had raised concerns for months about coyote activity in the area.
The attack occurred Friday, Oct. 16, in the 3300 block of Glenhurst Avenue, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The child was treated at a local hospital and later released. Officials have not publicly detailed the child’s injuries.
Wildlife officers searched the neighborhood after the attack and located a coyote in the same area later that evening. The animal was euthanized, and investigators collected DNA samples from both the coyote and the child to determine whether officers had found the animal responsible for the attack.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife later said the DNA samples matched, confirming that the euthanized coyote was the one involved in the attack. The finding resolved one of the main questions surrounding the incident after authorities initially said they could not be certain that the animal found nearby was responsible.
The attack has also renewed scrutiny of complaints from Atwater Village residents who said a coyote had become increasingly comfortable around people. Neighbors had reported seeing a coyote in the area for months, and some said the animal had approached or chased children and pets. A coyote seen frequently in the neighborhood had been nicknamed “Wiley,” although authorities have not publicly confirmed whether the animal killed after the attack was the same coyote.
Residents also repeatedly complained that someone in the neighborhood might have been feeding the animal. Los Angeles Animal Services went to the home of a person identified in those complaints on May 20, according to information provided by the agency. The person denied feeding the coyote and allowed an officer to inspect the property. Officials said they did not find enough evidence at the time to support a violation.
Additional complaints followed in June and later in the summer. California wildlife officials now say they have contacted an individual suspected of feeding the coyote and intend to refer a case to the Los Angeles city attorney’s office for possible action involving the illegal feeding of wildlife. The person’s identity has not been released, and no criminal charge had been announced as of Thursday.
Feeding coyotes and other wild predators can cause the animals to lose their natural wariness of people, wildlife experts say. The issue had become a point of dispute in Atwater Village before the attack, with some residents concerned about increasingly bold coyote behavior and others seeking ways to coexist with wildlife in the urban neighborhood.
Coyote attacks on people remain uncommon, but incidents have occurred elsewhere in Southern California. The Atwater Village case has focused new attention on how local and state agencies respond when residents report repeated encounters with animals that appear unusually comfortable around people.
The child has been released from the hospital, and the coyote linked to the attack has been euthanized. Authorities have not announced additional findings about the circumstances of the attack, while the possible wildlife-feeding case remains under review for referral to city prosecutors.
Author note: Last updated October 22, 2026.