Three schools in the Pacoima area were placed on lockdown after the bear made its way down from the Angeles National Forest and was spotted in the area on Monday. The lockdowns have since been lifted.
Aerials show the area of Chivers Avenue and Terra Bella Street as the bear walked through several backyards and driveways of homes.
Crews from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife responded to the neighborhood and tranquilized the animal. The bear fell asleep on top of a wall in the backyard of a home on Borden Avenue after it was tranquilized.
It happened across the street from Sara Coughlin Elementary School. Video shows the unconscious bear being wheeled out from behind the home.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates the male bear is around four to five years old and weighs 275 pounds. They checked it out, took its vitals, and said the bear is healthy. They also tagged the bear and placed a tracking collar on it.
Officials say the bear will now be released into the nearest suitable habitat, likely back in the Angeles National Forest.
"I came out, and he was actually over there in the neighbor's yard, backyard, and he came running around the front and ended up in the other neighbor's yard," said neighbor Jamie Chisam. "This area, like, you wouldn't expect a bear. We see coyotes, but not a bear, like a giant bear."
"I'm from Los Angeles. I've never seen one," said Isaac Ramirez from Downey. "It's exciting. I've been watching them on TikTok. It has to be a first for me, seeing one in L.A."
"I love this about Los Angeles. You can have this giant city and then wildlife all together in one place," said Russ Shumaker.
Monday's bear sighting follows two others in the San Fernando Valley over the weekend, including at the Hansen Dam Golf Course in Pacoima on Sunday, where some people got too close, trying to take selfies with the bear.
On Saturday, a bear was spotted in a Shadow Hills residential neighborhood.
It's unknown if the bear tranquilized on Monday is the same bear spotted in the other neighborhoods over the weekend, but officials believe it likely is.