Black bear captured in Granada Hills after daylong chase

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A black bear sits in a tree behind St. Andrew & St. Charles Church in Granada Hills. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

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A black bear climbs over a fence at Demaret Place in Granada Hills, alluding Animal Services and the Los Angeles Police Department. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

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LAPD officers and officials from the Department of Fish and Wildlife search for the bear. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

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Officials search for a bear that was spotted in Granada Hills. The bear was hit with a tranquilizer but disappeared back into the wooded area at Knollwood Golf Course. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

By Times Staff Writers

Oct. 29, 2013 6:20 PM PT

A black bear that evaded authorities in Granada Hills was tranquilized Tuesday evening after a daylong search.

The bear was loaded into the back of pickup truck after being captured near a golf course by officers with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife and Los Angeles Police Department, according to television news footage.

Earlier Tuesday, the bear was spotted in a tree at a Granada Hills school, ran from yard to yard, took a breather on the the front steps of a church and scurried onto a golf course past onlookers.

The bear’s odyssey began about 7 a.m. after it was spotted at the North Valley Charter Academy campus on Rinaldi Street. The bear climbed a tree at the rear of the campus, where it remained as students were escorted inside the school.

The chase began after a low-flying helicopter spooked the bear out of the tree.

After the bear scurried through the yards of several nearby homes, officials at one point had it cornered. Officials fired tranquilizer darts but they weren’t successful.

When the bear took off a second time, it made its way to the Knollwood Golf Course, where a witness said it startled players on a green. At one point during the chase, the bear was spotted resting on the front steps of a church.

The bear eventually disappeared into the wooded area around the golf course, evading the ever-present television news helicopters.

The golf course is familiar territory for bears. About six months ago during a wildfire, the course was visited by another black bear that was eventually tranquilized and captured, golf starter Arnie Johnson said.

That time, though, the bear got away, according to Richard French of the Los Angeles Police Department.

“They were not able to locate the bear,” French told The Times at about 1 p.m. “He scurried away.”

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