Coyote on campus

Before 1^st period, on Oct. 31, a coyote was spotted entering through the 6^th and Olympic gate, then running through the main quad in front of Barnum hall, and by the basketball courts before animal control was called, and the animal finally escaped.

Security officer Darren Sargent was one of the first to spot the coyote but could not report the threat because he didn't have his walkie-talkie.“I was scared, I didn’t know if [the coyote] was going to attack or not," Sargent said. "My first thought was: if [the coyote] comes towards me, I’m going to climb up [Pico St.] gate. Then, when it started moving away from me, I knew I had to call it in, but I didn’t have my radio on me, so I followed it until I could get to a place where I could report it.”According to the Santa Monica Patch's website, coyotes usually do not attack civilians, however there has been an increase in attacks in other cities.Math teacher Steve Rupprecht also saw the coyote as it ran through campus.“[Ryan] Hoffman looked at this thing, and said ‘Woah, what is that?’ and we both saw it, and we both realized it was a coyote,” Rupprecht said. “The coyote was walking near us, about 20 feet away, not too scared, but you could tell it was worried about its escape, trying to find a way off campus. It went around the outdoor basketball courts, and then it headed towards the pool area.” This occurred at around 7:30 a.m., just as early students were beginning to arrive for 1^st period, and student safety was the staff's main priority.“We were told to get all of the students inside open buildings, so they would be safe,” Sargent said. “When something not normal like this happens, we have to make sure everyone is safe, that’s the priority.”