Video shows mountain lion in San Francisco's Outer Sunset District bolting away before being captured

A mountain lion spotted in a San Francisco neighborhood Friday morning sprinted to escape animal control personnel before it was captured shortly after.

A city alert notification said the mountain lion was seen near 44th Avenue and Ulloa Street in the city's Outer Sunset District, about two blocks north of the San Francisco Zoo.

CBS News Bay Area reporter Drew Andre said that as of 10:48 a.m., the mountain lion had been hit with a tranquilizer dart and animal control officers were waiting for it to take effect. The lion was seen making a run for it after being cornered by personnel on the scene. 

"Officers warned us, they said be ready because after the big cat is tranquilized, there is a chance it could run in our direction, and that's exactly what happened," Andre said.

Eventually the cat became incapacitated and animal control officers removed it from the area just before noon. California Deaprtment of Fish and Wildlife veterinarians staffers examined the mountain lion, estimated to be 2 to 3 years old, and gave it a clean bill of health before returning it to the wild Friday afternoon, the agency said.

The lion was also outfitted with a GPS satellite collar and becomes part of the Santa Cruz Puma Project's tracking and research program.

Earlier this month, a mountain lion was seen roaming in the city's Panhandle neighborhood just east of Golden Gate Park. It's believed that lion left the area and found its way into the city from the Santa Cruz mountains.