She Was Napping in Backyard. Then: 'It Immediately Attacked'

A California teen received an unpleasant awakening from a nap this week, but she's lived to tell the tale, thanks to her computer. Per USA Today, the unidentified 19-year-old was snoozing Monday evening in a chair in the backyard of a home in Sierra Madre when suddenly, "she awoke to the sound of a bear approaching her," Capt. Patrick Foy of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife tells CNN. "It immediately attacked." Foy notes the bear "began clawing at her arm and leg and bit her leg," per the Mercury News, adding that "once an animal starts to attack and bite a human being, they view humans as prey."

That's when the teen managed to grab her laptop lying nearby and start smacking the bear with it; she was able to escape and run to safety inside, Foy says. He adds, per USA Today, that the attack was "100% unprovoked," and that no food was outside that could have attracted the bear. He praises the teen for her quick thinking. "She fought back vigorously, which is what you should do with any wildlife in California," he says, per CNN. The teen had only minor injuries to her arms and legs, he notes. Meanwhile, Fish and Wildlife is now trying to find the bear, which has been described as being a light-colored juvenile weighing about 125 pounds. The bear that attacked the teen will be euthanized if it's captured. (More bear attack stories.)