LIVE OAK — The year-old squirrel that terrorized a downtown Santa Cruz neighborhood in recent weeks chewed from her plastic carrier and escaped during attempts to relocate her and her three newborns last week, Native Animal Rescue volunteers said.

The squirrel, named Emily, has bitten six people in the Maple Street area in the last two weeks. The Sentinel recently received reports of the sixth attack — on a young man trying to feed her a potato chip.

A team of firefighters, animal-services officer and a wildlife handler removed the eastern gray squirrel, a new mother of three, from the corner of Maple and Cedar streets about noon Friday.

Native Animal Rescue volunteers took the animal in a plastic enclosure, but Emily already was chewing aggressively at the scene. Her efforts continued during her transfer. She escaped from the Live Oak nonprofit’s driveway before ever entering the building. She sprinted across 17th Avenue and bolted along fences between Live Oak Grange Garden and adjacent homes.

She hasn’t been seen since.

Emily’s three babies were placed with a foster home affiliated with Native Animal Rescue.

Charlotte Nolan-Reyes found 4-week-old Emily in August, when the newborn fell near Nolan-Reyes’ car at Mission Hill Middle School. It was likely that she fell from a nest. Emily, whom Nolan-Reyes named, was taken downtown. Her socializing escalated to violence in recent weeks, blocking the busy sidewalk, staring at pedestrians before — and after — sinking her teeth into their legs or arms. She was difficult to shake off, a victim told the Sentinel.

Once she arrived at Native Animal Rescue shortly after noon Friday, she had chewed four holes in the thin blue box. The escape hole was the largest; still smaller than someone’s palm.

“She went for it,” wildlife-rescue volunteer Frank Schmit said.

Emily likely would soon revert to her wild ways and avoid human contact, he added.

“I think it’s a solution,” Schmit said. He and Nolan-Reyes tried to find Emily soon after by playing the squeaky sounds of baby animals and walking the garden where she last was seen.

Rescue staff Zoe Egan said, besides being illegal, people should not try to tame or handle wild animals.

“It causes abnormal behavior,” Egan said. “The animal deserves a chance. I think she’s reverting to normal behavior. They’re so cute and everything, but it’s not good for them.”

At Live Oak Grange Garden, which was full of vegetables and a large tree, some gardeners said they have not seen a squirrel.

Grange member James Schneeberger had seen the rodent, however.

“She was running along the fence tops,” Schneeberger said. “That was days ago.”