Man bitten by coyote in Swampscott

A man was bitten by a coyote in Swampscott early Monday morning, police said.

It happened at approximately 6:40 a.m. near the Santander Bank on Paradise Road, according to Detective Sergeant Jay Locke, a spokesman for the Swampscott Police Department. The man was on his phone when the attack occurred, he said.

“The coyote came out from under his truck and bit him the calf and shin area,” Locke said in a phone interview.

The man then took a wooden pole from his truck and used it to get the coyote away from him.

“He shooed it back away from him,” Locke said.

The man suffered “a couple small puncture wounds” but refused medical attention at the scene, and said he would take himself to get medical care.

The location where the incident occurred is a busy shopping plaza near the Tedesco Country Club. Due to the amount of activity at the plaza, coyotes in the area have been desensitized to humans, Locke said.

“They sort of lose their fear,” Locke said.

The coyote fled the scene and as of Monday afternoon, remained at large.

The animal control officer has “been out looking for it,” Locke said.