Bear that swiped at Monrovia woman captured by wildlife officials; two cubs also found

A family of bears was captured in Monrovia on Sunday, just a day after a mother bear swiped at a woman who was walking her dog.

The encounter happened at around 9:20 a.m. near Oakglade and Ridgeside drives, when authorities say that the woman suffered minor injuries when a bear swiped at her leg and scratched the back of her knee. The woman, who was hospitalized after the incident, is expected to be okay, Monrovia police said. 

On Sunday, after hours of attempting to lure the family living underneath a house in the area, California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials captured a large bear and two cubs just after 6 p.m. Testing will be conducted to determine if the bear is the same one that attacked the woman. 

Ashlie Howie-Storms, who used to run a popular social media account documenting bear sightings in their neighborhood, says that she had spoken with the woman just minutes before the attack. 

"We've been here 22 years, I think, and I don't recall a human-bear encounter that resulted in an injury," Howie-Storms said. "It really breaks our hearts, because that's not what happens here. We're all really cautious here."

CBS LA was on scene when the bears were caught. Officials were seen carrying the two cubs in a large metal crate, while the mother bear was tranquilized and hauled into a CDFW vehicle on a large tarp. Though unconfirmed, they believe it's the same bear that attacked the woman and her dog on Saturday.

Henry Franco said that the family of bears had been living under his home for at least two months and that he's been watching them since around the time they were born.

"I guess you could say I'm friends with the bear," Franco said. 

He says that while he's sorry to hear that the woman was hurt, he's heartbroken that the mother bear and her cubs were taken away. 

"They are wild animals, but we have to kinda share a world with them," he said. "Which is wonderful, because they're amazing creatures."

If testing concludes that the captured bear and the woman who attacked the woman are the same, wildlife officials said that it could be euthanized.

Neighbors in Monrovia were unhappy to hear that's how the story could end, they said that the bear was just protecting her cubs and are hopeful that they can all be relocated to a safer location.