Monkey Attack in Stamford

Bizarre Animal Attack Rattles Stamford


STAMFORD, Conn. (CBS) ―

An animal well known to Connecticut law enforcement was involved in a near-fatal and utterly bizarre attack on Monday afternoon.

A 55-year-old woman is in critical condition after a 200-pound chimpanzee attacked her inside a Fairfield County home.

The wild incident happened at approximately 4 p.m. at 241 Rockrimmon Road in Stamford. Sources tell CBS 2 HD the victim was a guest at the home where the chimp lived.

The animal later fled the home but was shot and killed by Stamford police. The victim was taken to Stamford Hospital.

CBS 2 HD's Mary Calvi spoke to neighbors who said they often saw the chimp roaming the streets in the neighborhood, sometimes unleashed.

"It's sad, very sad," one person told CBS 2 HD. "Then again, it's also very unusual for something like this to happen."

Police spent Monday afternoon at the scene as investigators tried to piece together what caused the animal to go berserk.

Ironically, CBS 2 HD has also learned that the same chimpanzee, named "Travis," escaped from an SUV back in 2003 and caused havoc in downtown Stamford before police put down the then-175-pound animal with a tranquilizer gun.