Wildlife officials searching for bear that broke into a San Bernardino County home, injuring 19-year-old

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is investigating a black bear home invasion in Crestline earlier this week that left a 19-year-old man with injuries.

Investigators with CDFW say a black bear entered a home in the mountain community around 6 a.m. on Monday by pushing through a bedroom window screen.

According to the San Bernardino County Fire Department, the man awoke to a bear paw.

The bear swiped at him, causing superficial injuries to his face and chest, and he was taken to a hospital for treatment and released, SBCoFD said.

 Darah Wood is the mother of the attack victim, Kevin Velasco-Wood, who is non-verbal.  

Wood said the morning of the attack, she heard commotion, jumped up from her room, scared the bear away, and called 911. "When I see him, his face is covered in blood," she said.

"I'm terrified. I basically just see that he has a hole in his lip, and I see the scar across his nose."

Firefighters searched the area of the 900 block of Oak Drive on Monday but did not find the bear.

Wildlife officers collected potential DNA evidence from both the victim and the residence. The samples were analyzed at CDFW's Wildlife Forensics Laboratory, and the DNA results will be used to attempt "to capture the offending bear," according to CDFW.

Neighbor Chris Jerger lives on the street where the attack happened. "It is actually kind of surprising, because we do get a lot of bears around here, as you might imagine, but it's very unusual for somebody to be attacked by one," he said.

"The investigation remains ongoing," a CDFW representative said. If the state determines the bear is a threat to public safety, it will be euthanized.