
Outcry as California bear fatally shot after Tahoe camper attack
A woman was startled awake at around 4.30 a.m. on Sunday to find an American black bear pawing at her locked door at Eagle Point Campground in Emerald Bay State Park.
The light-furred sow had two five-month-old cubs along with a 'long history of human conflict, including multiple home invasions and vehicle break-ins,' according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The camper banged pots and pans and screamed in an attempt to scare the bear. Despite her best efforts, the animal managed to force its way inside.
The bear swiped at the woman, leaving her with cuts and bruises on her arm, wrist, and hand that required hospital treatment.
In another incident later that morning, the bear clawed at the door of a campervan, ripping it open as teenagers slept inside.
DNA evidence linked the bear to a spate of disturbances and attacks, which led to it being labeled as 'Public Safety Bear.' It ultimately meant it had to be targeted and 'humanely euthanized,' according to the CDFW's black bear policy.
A state park ranger shot and killed the bear on Monday near the campground, CDFW spokesperson Peter Tira told SF Gate Thursday.
The bear's death has sparked a wave of anger online, with many pointing fingers at humans for encroaching on bear territory.
'Funny how humans move into a bear's territory and then kill said bear because they become a nuisance...in their own home,' one furious Facebook user responded to the CDFW's post about the incident.
'Humans have endless places they can go. Bears don't, thanks to humans,' another added. 'Killing an animal because it's a nuisance is wrong.'
Meanwhile, a third Facebook user thanked the CDFW for 'making the tough decisions,' adding: 'Keep up the good, hard work!'
The sow's cubs have been orphaned and are being housed in a rehabilitation facility, with the hope that they can one day be returned to the wild.
'As wildlife professionals who devote our careers to the health and well-being of California's fish and wildlife species, euthanasia is a measure of last resort,' said Morgan Kilgour, regional manager for CDFW's North Central Region.
'Our foremost responsibility, however, remains the protection of human life and the safety of the Tahoe region.'
The agency stated that it had been attempting to trap the bear since June 17, following multiple 911 calls. The animal failed to respond to seven attempts to haze it out of human-occupied areas.
California has the largest population of black bears in the continental U.S., according to the department.
Human‑bear interactions are especially high and urbanized in South Lake Tahoe. The region was home to the infamous 500lbs ' Hank the Tank,' who broke into dozens of homes in 2022.
The region is home to more than a third of all bears in the Tahoe Basin, with about 500 on the South Shore alone, according to South Tahoe Now.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Four friends dead in horrific freeway car crash involving drunk driver
Four friends tragically lost their lives in a car accident after a drunk driver slammed into their vehicle on a freeway in Norwalk, California. At around 1am on July 20, the group of 24-year-olds was driving home from a concert when their Nissan got involved in a crash with a California Highway Patrol vehicle and stalled on in the middle of the 605 freeway. That's when a Kia slammed into the back of the Nissan at high speed, causing the latter to burst into flames and trapping the four friends inside, where they all died. According to officials, the Kia's driver was drunk. 'This was entirely preventable due to the fact that one of the drivers was driving under the influence,' said CHP Officer Zachary Salazar. The victims were identified as Julie Harmori, her boyfriend Armando Del Campo, and their two friends, Jordan Partidge and Sam Skocili. They were pronounced dead at the scene. Kathy Stickel, Harmori's aunt, said that Partridge had called her mother after the initial crash with the CHP vehicle to let her know that the group had been in accident, but that they were okay. However, in the middle of the call, the line went dead. This was the moment the Kia slammed into their car. Stickel said that the four friend had formed deep-rooted friendships with one another that stretched back many years. 'She was about the relationships,' Stickel said of her niece, adding that the group had been friends since junior high school. The families of all four victims are turning to each other for support. 'All the parents are checking on each other,' Stickel said. 'They're also checking on people who they've met through this whole tragedy.' Family members created a joint GoFundMe page to raise money for funeral expenses. 'Proceeds will be divided evenly among the four families' parents, as they scramble to memorialize their children,' the fundraiser page read. Heartbreaking The other two victims were identified as the couple's two friends, Sam Skocili left) and Jordan Partidge (right) The Kia driver, Iris Salmeron, 26, of Bellflower, and her passenger, who was unidentified, were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. Salmeron was arrested and is now facing multiple felony charges, including driving under the influence. CHP Officer Salazar said: 'Our hearts go out to the families who are involved in terms of the victims…our officers are going to investigate this to the best of their ability.'


The Independent
13 hours ago
- The Independent
Surgery center workers charged with blocking ICE from arresting immigrant who ran into their building
Two surgery workers in California have been charged with interfering with an Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigation for allegedly blocking agents from detaining an immigrant who ran into a surgery center to escape. Disturbing footage showed a masked agent holding back a female member of staff by her neck as she tried to step in the way. The agent forcefully pulls the woman before another worker intervenes. Criminal charges have now been filed against Jose de Jesus Ortega, 38, of Highland, and Danielle Nadine Davila, 33, of Corona, who are accused of assaulting and interfering with an ICE investigation, according to a federal criminal complaint. Ortega was arrested Friday morning and has since made his first court appearance, while law enforcement is still searching for Davila. The charges stem from an incident at the Ontario Advanced Surgery Center in San Bernardino County earlier this month. 'The media originally reported that the illegal alien was taken during a medical appointment. That was false,' according to Bill Essayli, interim U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, whose office brought the charges. 'The illegal alien arrested inside the surgery center was not a patient. He ran inside for cover and these defendants attempted to block his apprehension by assaulting our agents,' according to Essayli. 'It doesn't matter who you are or where you work, if you assault our agents or otherwise interfere with our operations, you will be arrested and charged with a federal crime.' The assault charge against Ortega and Davila carries a maximum statutory sentence of eight years in federal prison, and conspiracy to interfere with a federal officer carries up to six. According to an affidavit seen by The Independent, the incident occurred on July 8 after two ICE agents, conducting roving searches, confronted a truck carrying three men. The truck pulled into the surgery parking lot and two of the men fled when approached. One of the men, who was reported to be in the United States illegally from Honduras, was detained near the surgery entrance, but resisted arrest and escaped into the building with help from a member of staff, according to the complaint. Agents then came across Ortega and Davila inside the building, where the altercation was caught on camera. In the footage, Davila can be heard shouting 'let him go!' and 'get out!' at the officers. deployment of National Guard service members and Marines. 'This arrest was not about law enforcement,' according to Synai Alas, the niece of one of the targeted immigrants, speaking at a press conference calling for his release. 'It was about silencing him. My uncle is being targeted and prosecuted, not because he broke any law, but because he has fearlessly stood up to defend constitutional rights.'


The Independent
17 hours ago
- The Independent
Trump posts meme of himself and JD Vance chasing Obama in OJ's white Bronco
Donald Trump's latest meme post sees him and JD Vance chasing former president Barack Obama, who is driving a white Ford Bronco, down a Los Angeles freeway in police cars. The image is a recreation of a famous shot of OJ Simpson's evasion of police in 1994. Obama's face is superimposed over that of the retired NFL star, who was accused of killing his ex-wife and her friend. Simpson was later controversially acquitted of the alleged murders following the 'trial of the century.' The faces of the president and his deputy are seen in cop cars trailing the vehicle, though while the image of Trump is normal, Vance is depicted as bloated and scraggly — recalling a recent infamous meme of the vice president. Vance appeared unfazed by the meme, reposting the image on X with a crying laughing emoji. Exactly what parallel Trump was trying to draw with the meme is unclear, but the post appears to be his latest attack against the former president as part of a wider attempt to shift the focus of the media narrative and fallout over the so-called 'Epstein files' back to his Democratic predecessors. In recent weeks, the president and other members of his administration have returned to the 'Russiagate' investigation as an apparent diversion for ongoing interest in financier Jeffrey Epstein and demands from Republicans and Democrats alike to release materials associated with investigations into the convicted sex offender, who died in his jail cell after he was charged with trafficking minors. On Wednesday, National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard called investigations into Trump's 2016 campaign a years-long 'coup' orchestrated by Obama, something that the former president dismissively rejected in a rare statement this week. 'There is irrefutable evidence that detailed how President Obama and his national security team directed the creation of an intelligence community assessment that they knew was false,' Gabbard claimed. Trump also doubled down on the claims on Friday, angrily instructing that 'people should really focus on how well the country is doing, or they should focus on the fact that Barack Hussein Obama led a coup.' The president previously posted an AI video of Obama being arrested in the Oval Office and later put in jail. The president has vehemently denied that he was told his name is in the files following a report in The Wall Street Journal alleging Attorney General Pam Bondi told Trump he was in them in May, weeks after she told Fox News the files were 'sitting on my desk to review.' Trump has also claimed the Epstein case was 'made up' by former FBI director James Comey, Obama, and former president Joe Biden, despite Epstein being federally charged and imprisoned during Trump's first administration.