Police in New Jersey were forced to gun down an aggressive raccoon after it lunged at officers and harassed several people Thursday afternoon.
Dennis Muniz told CBS.com that he called the police after the crazed animal chased him and his children around the exterior of his home.
"When police arrived at our house they caught the raccoon in the backyard and used a Taser on it to slow the animal down, but that didn't work so they shot it three times."
Detective Sgt. Matthew Parodi of the Maywood Police Department verified that a patrol officer did fire 3 rounds from his handgun into the raccoon calling it "a public safety concern."
Police records show that the animal chased a group of children from a nearby school earlier in the day and bit a 72-year-old man in the back while he was gardening.
The biting victim, who did not want to be identified said, "I felt a sharp pain in my back when I reached behind I felt fur and pushed it away from me. By the time I turned around to face the raccoon it was coming at me again so I threw a bucket at him."
The animal is believed to have been rabid.
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