http://www.boston.com/dailynews/153/region/Black_bear_bursts_into_Hertz_r:.shtml

Black bear bursts into Hertz rental equipment store in California

By Associated Press, 6/2/2001 05:06

SALINAS, Calif. (AP) A 200-pound black bear crashed through a glass door and was holed up in a Hertz rental store for 4½ hours before police officers closed off the street, surrounded the building and tranquilized the animal.

''We put up this big wrought iron fence ... to keep people out, but that sucker just jumped up on that thing and took about two seconds to just scale it,'' said Quetzal Grimm, Hertz Equipment Rental branch manager. ''He fell on the ground and then just bolted through one of the bottom panes of our doors.''

Grimm said the bear was not injured, and only the glass door was damaged.

The sedated bear was carried from the store and taken by state Department of Fish and Game officials to be released into the wild.

Police Sgt. Roger Milligan said everyone took extra precautions not to harm the bear, following an incident last week where another black bear climbed a tree in downtown Carmel. That bear fell 70 feet to its death after being shot with a tranquilizer dart, and later died.

-- Anonymous, June 02, 2001