SAN DIMAS, Calif. — A brazen bear seen roaming through a residential neighborhood in Southern California prompted a school lockdown on Wednesday.
Videos captured by residents of San Dimas and local law enforcement show the bear exploring yards and coming up to people’s homes.
Resident Carrie Pouliot captured the bear on her security camera and shared the footage with KCBS.
“An alert went off that there was motion in our driveway,” Pouliot told the TV news station.
She originally thought the bear was a coyote.
“And it was not a coyote. It got bigger and bigger, and I said, ‘Oh my word.’ Might have said something else,” said Pouliot.
The bear was also seen on the campus of Shull Elementary School, according to the San Dimas Sheriff’s Station.
According to local media reports, a bear cub was also seen near the grounds of the school.
Officials say the staff at the school were immediately notified of the animals and the campus was placed on lockdown.
After a couple of hours, the sheriff’s department says the “mama bear” was safely taken back into its natural habitat in the Angeles National Forest, KCBS reports.