Roxboro man attacked by coyote strangles animal to protect himself

A Roxboro man is recovering after being bitten by a coyote Friday night.

Police said the incident happened on Somerset Drive around 7 p.m. when the man saw a coyote following him.

"I was walking down the neighborhood, and I was looking one way, so I wasn't even looking towards the woods," said James Pulliam.

Pulliam said, without warning, the coyote attacked him. He said he kicked the coyote, attempting to get away, but it came right back. When he attempted to run away, Pulliam said he fell, and the coyote began to bite him.

To protect himself, Pulliam said he strangled the coyote.

“I just grabbed [him] by the throat," he said. "I was on top of him and put my knee in his throat. And I ain't let go. I had my hand on his throat and my knee on his throat."

Pulliam said he was able to rip his left hand out of the coyote's mouth. When officers arrived, the coyote was dead.

Pulliam was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment for multiple bite wounds. Officers said his injuries were minor. 

Officers said Person County Animal Services will test the dead coyote for rabies while Pulliam endures a series of rabies vaccines.

Wildlife experts said, although the man’s injuries were minor, they advise people to make loud noises and wave their arms to scare away a coyote.