The North Valley Military Institute went under temporary lockdown Tuesday, after a black bear roved the area 20 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, Calif.
The Los Angeles Police Department spent hours chasing the animal as it roamed the San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Granada Hills, passing through backyard swimming pools and a golf course at its leisure. California Department of Fish and Wildlife agents followed the bear wielding tranquilizer guns, tracking its movements across the Knollwood Golf Course and between houses, according to KNBC.
When the bear made its way through the military school, officials told students to stay inside.
"There is a bear in a tree in the parking lot," the school wrote on its website. "All students that were here on time have been escorted to classrooms and are on lockdown, students that were late are in the Parish Hall with Captain Diab and other staff. Everyone is safe and waiting on animal control to take over the situation."
Video from a local news station shows the bear being chased, as a helicopter followed his trail. The bear sat in the tree for an hour, Gawker reported, until it was scared off by helicopters. The bear descended from the shrubbery and ran away, even though it was hit with at least one tranquilizer dart.
The bear reportedly had a tracking tag pinned to its left ear, signifying that it had ventured into an urban area before.
This is the second time a bear has descended into the city in the past five months. KABC reported that agents caught a black bear on a golf course in June and removed it from the area.
As of 12:00 p.m., the bear was still running freely.
