(CNN) — A wild monkey is terrorizing a small city in southwestern Japan, breaking into homes and attacking residents, officials said.

Some 20 people in the Ogori area of Yamaguchi have been bitten or clawed by the monkey since July 8,  according to the city’s administrative office.

In a little more than 12 hours this week it attacked three people: a 10-year-old boy Tuesday in an elementary school and two women who were outside during separate attacks Tuesday and Wednesday.

Other victims include a 10-month-old girl inside her house, two toddler brothers who were also inside and a man hanging out laundry to dry.

Authorities have not confirmed what type of monkey was responsible for the attacks but said the area is inhabited by macaques, also known as Japanese snow monkeys. Macaques can be found in parks in several areas of Japan, often scavenging food from visitors.

Police are ramping up patrols in the area and urging the public to keep their windows closed while the hunt continues.

The Ogori area, largely residential, is on the edge of a forest at the southern tip of Japan’s largest island, Honshū.