SoCal Bear Earns Nap After Chase

A bear led Fish and Game officials on a furious hour-long chase Wednesday night before finally taking a nap.

Officers shot the bear with three tranquilizer darts after the pursuit came to an end in a park.

The first report of a bear came in around 9 p.m. It was spotted by motorists in Upland California.

The bear ran into an apartment complex before it jumped a fence and scampered up a tree. Officers used rubber bullets to get the bear down from the tree.

The chase resumed when the furry fugitive crossed a Walmart parking lot and climbed another tree. Again, rubber bullets were used to bring the tiring animal out of the tree.

When the bear climbed a third tree, Fish and Game officials brought out the tranquilizer gun. The three-mile chase finally ended with a third tranquilizer dart.

Officers said the bear was not a public safety threat.

"He was a no-harm, no-foul bear," an officer said. "He didn't really jeopardize the public. He was more in the wrong area at the wrong time. We usually destroy a public safety bear. He didn't bite anyone, didn't attack anyone, didn't growl at anyone. So, we'll just release him back into the wild."

The bear was released Thursday morning near Mt. Baldy.

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