Northern California deputy shoots beanbag rounds into car window to free bear trapped inside
- Share via
Reporting from SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — A Northern California sheriff’s deputy fired several beanbag rounds into the back window of a car to free a trapped bear that had probably been searching for snacks.
El Dorado County sheriff’s spokesman Anthony Prencipe said Thursday that officers were called after the bear was seen rummaging through a Honda Civic in South Lake Tahoe.
In a video, the caller says that the bear did not seem very happy and that it looked huge.
The deputy says he was going to try to break out the back window. After a few shots, the window breaks open and the bear romps out and into the woods.
Prencipe said it’s safer to open a vehicle remotely than to get close to a scared bear.
The sheriff’s office posted a notice on Facebook that bears can open doors.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
