Sheriff's Deputies Use Beanbag Rounds to Free Bear Trapped in Car

Sheriff's deputies in South Lake Tahoe are reminding folks who visit their fair city: Yes, bears do have the ability to open unlocked car doors. 

Dashcam footage captured by the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office showed deputies responding to reports of a bear that had managed to become trapped inside the back of a blue sedan parked in a resident's driveway. 

Officers used non-lethal bean bag rounds to break the rear window and create an opening large enough for the brown bear inside to escape. 

"So we got a bear in the car?" the deputy asks a woman off-camera.

"He's not to very happy," the woman can be heard replying. 

"No, he wouldn't be," the officer says chuckling. "He’s done a little bit of damage in there." 

"He looks huge!" the woman says. 

"Well, that's cause it's a small car," the officer says. 

“Yeah, We’re going to try to get him out, because he’s not happy at all," the deputy says. 

The deputy then lets the unseen woman know that they're going to use a non-lethal beanbag round to break out the rear window of her vehicle. After firing three times, the rear window breaks open. 

Once free, the bear scampers off, presumably looking for another picnic basket to pilfer. 

The sheriff's office used the video to remind folks to remove food in their cars and lock them up while in bear country. 

“Please do not leave food in cars or your vehicle’s unlocked, especially in bear country. YES, bears can open car doors,” a portion of the video’s description reads.


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