Pike Carlson was playing in the backyard with his older brother, Gage, in the mountainous town of Bailey around 7:30 p.m. on August 21 when he heard one of his friends call him from a neighboring house. As he ran over to see his friend, a mountain lion jumped out and attacked the boy, biting him on the head.

The older brother then ran into the house to tell their father something was wrong. When the father, Ron Carlson, rushed out, he saw the mountain lion on top of his son.

“I was just punching, trying to grab anything that I can, like a stick,” Pike Carlson told WFAA. “I did find a stick and I tried to get it in the eye but soon the stick snapped.”