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Toto resident recounts attack by deer.
"If you see a deer, it's not Bambi. Don't go near it."

Those were the words of advice yesterday from a bandaged-up Toto resident who was attacked by a binadu early yesterday morning.

Mike Cepeda, 51, sported fresh bandages and a smile as he visited the Guam Police Department Hagåtña precinct following the incident. Officers needed his information for a report, he said.

Cepeda said he went outside of his Toto home after his aunt called him about a deer in the yard.


"I was just watching the deer calmly come towards me, and before I knew it, it took the stance to attack," he said.

The deer, about 3 to 4 feet in height, with 2-foot antlers, charged at him, he said.

"He jabbed at me (in the chest), threw me down, and dragged me about 20 feet," he said.

His wife and aunt came to help, trying to pull the deer off with a rope that was tied to the animal, he said.

The deer overpowered them, and kept tossing and slamming Cepeda on the ground, he said.

"I am over 200 pounds and he was able to lift me," he said. The struggle went on for about 15 to 20 minutes, he said.

"At first, I thought, 'Why isn't anyone filming this?' But then reality hit, and I thought, 'I'm going to die,'" Cepeda said.

Finally, a female cousin rushed to get a kitchen knife and stabbed the buck in the back, he said. The animal let go of Cepeda and ran off, he said.

But the deer tried to attack other relatives living nearby. Police were called, and an officer shot the animal to death, Cepeda said.

Cepeda was treated at a clinic for a broken left pinkie, scraped knees, and a head contusion, he said. The antlers left a shallow puncture on his chest, and his back and arms were bruised and bloody, he said.

"It's Friday the 13th, attacked by a deer, story of my life," Cepeda said. "It's a freak day. Go figure: Get up, see Bambi, and get attacked by Bambi."