Bean bag shots used to shoo bear away from La Crescenta neighborhood

State Fish and Game officials fired two rounds of bean bags at a bear Saturday night after it made its way down from Deukmejian Wilderness Park Saturday night.

Glendale police and animal control officers responded to the 3400 block of Markridge Road in La Crescenta at about 8 p.m. Saturday after residents reported the bear was sifting through trash cans and meandering through front yards, Sgt. Tom Lorenz said.

After officials fired two rounds of bean bags at the bear, it fled into a nearby wash and determined to no longer be a threat.

“They fire rounds just to scare them and get the bear’s attention and not welcome it in the area,” Lorenz said.

Around midnight, Glendale Police officers once again received reports that the bear had returned to the neighborhood, but as of Sunday morning, Lorenz said there were no sightings. Police also issued a public safety alert.

Officials stress the importance of not leaving pet food outside overnight and securing trash cans to make residential properties less inviting for enterprising wildlife.

“We’ve got to make sure we don’t provide [the bear] with the opportunity to stay in our neighborhood,” Lorenz said.

Should the bear continue to return to the neighborhood, Lorenz said officials with the California Department of Fish and Game will trap and relocate it.