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A bear wandering near a Paso Robles shopping center on Thursday morning prompted a big response from police and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife as they attempted to corral the animal away from the heavily visited area.

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The bear was first seen mid-morning in the area of the Target and Outdoor Supply Hardware store parking lot off Theatre Drive.

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By noon, officers with the Paso Robles Police Department and CDFW representatives were on scene attempting to get the bear out of a tree in the parking lot.

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Initial attempts to shoot a pepper ball above the bear to try to get it to come down out of the tree were unsuccessful.

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Meanwhile about a dozen spectators gathered at the edge of the parking lot area police blocked off to watch the scene unfold.

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“I want to pet it,” one person said. “I want to cook it,” another replied.

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Access from the northern part of Theatre Drive was temporarily blocked off and traffic diverted behind the shopping center while authorities were on scene.

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The bear was finally captured around 1:20 p.m. after it appeared to have been shot with a tranquilizer dart; a few minutes later it fell out of the tree and was caught in a tarp being held by on-scene personnel.

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