THIS is the terrifying moment a little boy was left running for his life from a coyote outside his family home.
The three-year-old was captured on video fleeing the large predator.
In terrifying footage, the toddler can be seen at first running away from his house, before spotting the coyote.
Immediately realising his mistake, he turns around and makes a run for it.
The boy was distraught as he ran back to the safety of his Pasadena home.
Just seconds after the toddler makes it inside, the large coyote appears, stalking him up the driveway in broad daylight.
Once the animal realised the boy was out of reach, it turns around and left the Los Angeles County property.
The little boy could be heard screaming for his mother in the distressing audio of the ordeal.
He thankfully escaped the clutches of the wild animal unharmed, but his family has been left reeling.
Following the terrifying encounter on Monday, his mother – Aida Svelto – spoke to ABC7.
“Sal went out the gate like he always does before me,” she said.
“Then I heard a scream, and Sal came running back.
“He grabbed onto my legs, then I screamed because I saw a big, giant coyote.”
The toddler’s father – Leonard Bessemer – was just as shocked by the ordeal, recounting the moment he got the terrifying news.
“She texted me. She’s like, ‘A coyote just chased Sal,” he said.
“I was like, ‘How?’ I checked the cameras. I was flabbergasted,” he told the outlet.
Coyotes are very common in Southern California, however they rarely attack people.
A wildlife expert has revealed the animals are particularly active at this time of year.
“It’s mating season, so they are out there at all times of the day. We’re going to be seeing them,” Pasadena Humane’s Kevin McManus said.
He advised for residents to be “extra cautious”.
“Keep an eye on your kids. Keep an eye on your pets.”
The family had seen coyotes in the street, but said they had never been this close.
“I really didn’t feel nervous. Now I’m nervous,” Svelto said of the incident.
“This one was bigger and scarier, and I just really didn’t think that he would go after a kid.
“It’s one thing to see them go after a chihuahua or rabbit or whatever, but he’s pretty big, so it was scary.”
Last year saw several interactions between coyotes and children in Southern California, where one three-year-old girl had to be hospitalised in San Diego.
A six-year-old boy was also attacked at a local softball game in the LA area.
Coyotes are known for attacking dogs, particularly smaller breeds.
