Students at Cleveland Elementary School were dismissed and John Muir High School went into “precautionary modified lock down” this afternoon when a large bear was spotted on Arroyo Boulevard near the Rose Bowl.
Nixle alerts from the Pasadena Unified School District and Altadena Sheriff Station went out this afternoon following reports of the bear.
According to a message from the Altadena Sheriff Station, the bear was tranquilized at about 4:55 PM by California Department of Fish and Wildlife officers, and will be transported back into the mountains.
UPDATE 5:15: Altadena Sheriff Station sent out a Nixle alert contradicting their earlier one — the bear has not been darted, is not being transported, but apparently is still wide awake and being observed by CDFW officers.
The bear was just south of Devil’s Gate dam so why the heck was John Muir on Lincoln in “lock down”? Talk about overeaction! The noise of all the choppers circling low above it, plus several news choppers, must have terrified the poor animal and made things much worse. This media circus every time a bear is spotted needs to end. I thought of starting a car chase to divert attention and let the poor animal get back through the Devil’s Gate dam tunnel to Hahamongna and the forest. Bears are scared of humans and won’t attack. They’re not a circus attraction.