‘Aggressive’ mountain lion in Fontana kills dog, comes at officers

Authorities are searching for an “aggressive” mountain lion that killed a German shepherd in a Fontana backyard Wednesday and kept returning to the home despite being shot at by police.

About 3:30 a.m. a resident in the 4100 block of Fox Borough Drive heard his dog crying out and went outside to find a large mountain lion standing over his dead 100-pound German shepherd, the Fontana police said in a statement.

When officers arrived, the animal was in the front yard of the home. Police shot at the mountain lion and scared it into the canyon, but it returned four times, coming toward officers before returning to the gorge.

It doesn’t appear the large cat was struck by any of the bullets, authorities said. The home where it killed the dog was in the Hunter’s Ridge neighborhood of Fontana.

Authorities are considering the mountain lion an imminent threat to public safety.

Fontana police officials were working with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife as they searched for the big cat.

Officials were also using a helicopter to scour the area using infrared equipment to pick up the animal’s heat signature. Despite mountain lions being nocturnal, Fontana police said, authorities will be searching for the animal throughout the day.

Residents are being told to avoid hiking or jogging at dawn, dusk and night, when mountain lions are the most active. Police are also asking people to keep pets inside and call 911 if they spot the animal.

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