Flashburns?  There could have been some kind of weapon Lyra had—maybe a non-lethal self-defense weapon.  Certainly, the police had a number of them, and he’d heard that the Secret Service had some sort of retinal disruptor—a device that sounded too science-fiction to actually be real.  However—if Lyra did have such a device—it could explain why he couldn’t remember what happened after he tackled the Coast Guard girl.  By accident or design, such a device might also be an effective depilator.  Maybe fur was to them what clothing was to him.