Mountain lion spotted in Santa Monica leads to street closures; residents told to remain indoors
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (KABC) — A mountain lion sighting disrupted a Santa Monica neighborhood Friday as police temporarily closed off some areas and urged residents to remain indoors while authorities worked to capture the big cat.
The mountain lion was eventually tranquilized by a biologist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, police said. The mountain lion was captured just before 7 p.m.
The animal was first spotted around 8 a.m. prowling in the city – far from its native environment in the hills. It was later seen hiding in the bushes of a home near 14th Street and Montana Avenue.
It ended up sleeping in someone’s backyard. Video from the scene shows that at one point the mountain lion ran into an alley where wildlife officials were waiting with what appeared to be tranquilizer guns.
Police blocked the alley with caution tape and multiple streets in the area were closed while the operation was ongoing. Residents were told to keep their pets indoors.
Officials were reportedly able to strike the animal with at least one of the tranquilizer darts and waited for the animal to fall asleep.
The big cat was last seen in a yard near the intersection of Euclid Street and Marguerita Avenue, north of Montana Avenue, but shortly before 7 p.m., wildlife officials were seen carrying the mountain lion into the back of a pickup truck after successfully tranquilizing the animal.
No injuries were reported.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said the mountain lion will be evaluated and if healthy, it will be collared and released into the “nearest suitable habitat within the Santa Monica Mountains.”
For Anna Redmond, it’s a Friday she won’t forget after the unexpected visit.
“I yelled, ‘There’s a mountain lion in our yard,'” she told Eyewitness News.
Redmond quickly called animal control. As a multi-agency response shut down her neighborhood, she watched the cat from inside her 14th Street home.
“It was just staring at us, and then it would put its head down. It licked its lips a couple of times, it yawned,” she said.
The mountain lion eventually left her yard.
Susan Clark finally returned home in the evening after getting an unexpected call from police hours earlier. The mountain lion had made its way to her home.
“I’m sure the cat was really frightened and all these people coming up to it,” Clark said. “So who knows what could have happened.”
City News Service contributed to this report.
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