Spooked coyote dashes into convention center

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A coyote sprinted past a security checkpoint and into a Nashville convention center where a boat show was packing up Sunday night.

The coyote entered through a loading area around 10:20 p.m. and ran into an exhibit hall before staff trapped it in a bathroom, according to the Music City Center.

Police and animal control officers used a catch pole to capture the animal, which was released in a wooded area.

Metro Animal Care and Control Director Lauren Bluestone said coyote encounters are becoming more common in Nashville as the city expands.

"I don't want to say coyotes in bathrooms are going to become the norm, but because of intrusion into their habitat, it's going to be close living," Bluestone said.