See bear dodge traffic as he crosses busy street in downtown Redding CA

A bear was caught on camera Thursday darting across a busy street in downtown Redding, California, as cars honk at him.

Video taken on December 9, 2021, by Ruston Barth shows the large bear dodging traffic before running into a gas station.

Barth told Storyful that the bear came toward him, but then just ran past him. “That was shocking,” he says in the video, which was obtained by The Sacramento Bee.

According to local media, the bear was also spotted the day before.

KRCR reported that the same bear had been seen climbing a tree, and later had to be freed by officers after getting locked in a gated parking lot.

“Due to the bear not being a threat or menace to anyone, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife was advised of the situation and are monitoring,” Redding Police Department said on Facebook.

“The sight of wildlife, including bears and mountain lions, is not uncommon in the city limits, due to our surrounding rural area,” police said.

This story was originally published December 10, 2021 at 10:55 AM with the headline "See bear dodge traffic as he crosses busy street in downtown Redding CA."