2 Rescued After Mountain Lion Stalks Them

Two hikers cornered by a mountain lion in the San Gabriel Mountains were rescued Sunday night by sheriff’s deputies.

Neither man was injured by the animal, but one man was slightly injured by a rockslide blown loose by the rotor of a helicopter that came to their rescue, said Deputy David Pasion of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Crescenta Valley station.

The two men were identified as Naveed Massey, 28, of Altadena, and Michael Mueller, 31, of Pasadena. They told deputies they were hiking about 4:30 p.m. near Henniger Flats in the Angeles National Forest above Altadena when they noticed the mountain lion stalking them. They climbed up a ridge to get away from it and found themselves cornered, Pasion said.

“The cat had charged them several times and they threw rocks at it to keep it away,” Pasion said.

The two men called for help and were heard by an off-duty firefighter, who called deputies. A search-and-rescue team was sent to the area along with a Los Angeles County Fire Department helicopter. The arrival of the helicopter scared off the mountain lion and dislodged a small rockslide, deputies said.

The men were rescued at 6:50 p.m. Massey was treated for a minor head injury at the scene, Pasion said.

Deputies said it is unusual for a mountain lion to stalk adults. State Fish and Game officials were notified of the mountain lion’s behavior and said they would investigate the incident, Pasion said.