text: A wily coyote gave the New York Police Department the runaround for more than an hour on Tuesday morning after it was spotted on the grounds of an apartment building next to a church in Manhattan. The male animal, which was eventually captured with a dart gun, was first seen by a local walking his dog in the park near the Church of the Holy Apostles at 28th Street and Ninth Avenue in Chelsea. After the resident alerted two workers to the sighting, NYPD officers arrived at the scene. However, the coyote did not surrender easily, sprinting across the grass and dodging the cops' attempts to catch it. It was only captured more than an hour later when Emergency Services Unit officers finally managed to shoot the animal with a dart laced with Ketaset. As the coyote nodded off, it was then collared. Scroll down for video . On the loose: This wily coyote gave the New York Police Department a run around for more than an hour on Tuesday morning after it was spotted on the grounds of a co-op building next to a church in Manhattan . Police chase: The male animal, which was eventually captured with a dart gun, was first seen by a local walking his dog in a park near the Church of the Holy Apostles at 28th Street and Ninth Avenue in Chelsea . Tranquilized: After the resident alerted two workers to the sighting, NYPD officers arrived at the scene. The coyote was captured (pictured) more than an hour later when it was shot with a dart laced with Ketaset . 'Safe capture': Shortly after 9am on Tuesday, Chief Harry Wedin, of the NYPD's Chief of Special Operations Division, tweeted a photo of the coyote curled up in its cage, writing that it had been 'safely captured' Finally, officers placed the urban animal in a  containment box and transported it to an Animal Care & Control facility in East Harlem, Upper Manhattan, for evaluation, the New York Daily News reported. Shortly after 9am on Tuesday, Chief Harry  Wedin, of the NYPD's Chief of Special Operations Division, tweeted a photo of the coyote curled up in its cage, writing that it had been 'safely captured'. It is the second time that a coyote has been sighted in New York  in little more than two weeks. On March 30, another coyote spent an hour on top of the LIC bar in Long Island City, Queens, after making its way through an abandoned building. It was captured after fleeing into an old paint factory. In the latest incident, the coyote - believed  to be a different animal from the Queens coyote - was filmed by members of the public running away from the NYPD, according to Eyewitness News. Richard Pichardo, who was walking to work when he noticed the commotion and began filming it, told the station: 'When I first got here, I was curious just like everybody else, and I asked what was it. On the run: The coyote did not surrender easily, sprinting across the grass and dodging on-scene officers . Predatory animal: After it was eventually captured, officers placed the urban animal in a containment box and reportedly took it to an Animal Care & Control facility in East Harlem, Upper Manhattan, for evaluation . Caught on video: The coyote was filmed by members of the public running away from the NYPD on Tuesday . Detective: ESU Detective Robert Mirfield (pictured) explained that officers were 'very careful' in their attempts to catch the 'large, full-grown [and] strong' coyote, which was seen hiding behind bushes as it evaded them . 'When they told me a coyote, I figured it was just a small one. When I caught a good video and I seen the size of him, was large, 60 maybe 70 pounds. If he was standing up, he would be taller than me.' ESU Detective Robert Mirfield explained that officers were 'very careful' in their attempts to catch the 'large, full-grown [and] strong' coyote, which was seen hiding behind bushes as it evaded capture. 'You have to approach these job very carefully, take your time, use your training and hope for the best,' Det Mirfield said, admitting he had feared being bitten. 'It's  in the back of your mind,' he said. He told the New York Post that ESU officers armed with snares and dart guns had arrived at the scene at 8.30am. Cops from the 10th Precinct were already on-site, keeping an eye on the animal . 'When we felt it was safe enough, we used our animal noose to capture the animal,' he said. Darting around: 'You have to approach these job very carefully, take your time, use your training and hope for the best,' Det Mirfield said, admitting he had feared being bitten. 'It's in the back of your mind,' he said . Witness: Richard Pichardo (pictured), who was walking to work when he noticed the commotion and began filming it, said: 'When I first got here, I was curious just like everybody else, and I asked what was it' Church: The coyote was seen near the Church of the Holy Apostles (above) at 28th Street and Ninth Avenue . 'Then we placed him in an animal containment box and had him taken out to the center for animal control so they could, I guess, evaluate his health and his future... He didn’t want to get captured.' Ketaset - which the coyote was drugged with - is a rapid-acting, nonnarcotic agent for anesthetic use in cats. It is also characterized by, mild cardiac stimulation and some respiratory depression. It is believed that the coyote may have crossed one of the bridges or tunnels leading to Manhattan in the early hours of the morning, before making its way to the  grassy site at 296 Ninth Avenue. It remains unclear when and where the animal will be released. There have been numerous sightings of coyotes living in New York over the past twelve months. According to the New York Times, the predatory animals have been spotted in Pelham Bay Park, Riverside Park and even on Stuyvesant Town on the East Side. Another sighting: It is the second time that a coyote has been sighted in New York in only two weeks. On March 30, another coyote spent an hour on top of the LIC bar (pictured) in Long Island City, Queens . Taking in the sights? The animal (pictured on the roof) was captured after fleeing into an old paint factory . There are also claims that there is one coyote living in Railroad Park, Jamaica, Queens. It is believed that increasing competition for food is  forcing coyotes to leave their dens and search for new territories to scavenge. Suburban areas have food availability and a lack of predators. As a result of the explosion in the numbers of coyotes living within the five boroughs, New York's Park Department has even issued guidelines on what to do if you come in contact with a coyote. It advises residents against feeding coyotes as they should be kept wary of humans, as well as pets. Coyotes are native to North America and were traditionally found in deserts or on the plains. However, now they have begun colonising urban areas and can be found in many parks across New York City. They can be mostly seen during the mating season of January to March. They can also be sighted when their pups leave between October and January.
target: Coyote was spotted in a park near Church of Holy Apostles in Manhattan .
  It ran across grass, hid behind bushes and dodged  cops for over an hour .
  Finally captured after it was shot with tranquilizer dart laced with Ketaset .
  Put in animal containment box and taken to Animal Care & Control center .
  It is the second coyote to have been seen in New York in only two weeks .
  On March 30, another spent an hour wandering on roof of bar in Queens .
  Coyotes are flocking to city in rising numbers as competition for food becomes increasingly fierce, forcing them to scavenge new territories .