Brave Beachgoer Fights Off Hungry Bear with Shovel

by The People's Voice

A group of beachgoers at Pope Beach, South Lake Tahoe, had an unexpected visitor – a bold brown bear with a taste for treats. An eyewitness, 18-year-old Derek Sears, recounted the exciting story to [Southwest News](https://www.southwestnews.com/2022/08/11/bear- PopeBeach-Tahoe/).

I actually saw two bears going through a dumpster last night. So I just stepped out of its way and thought it would make a cool video.

The video captures the bear making a beeline for a cooler full of food. Unfazed by the crowd, it deftly opens the cooler, rummaging for treats. Sears tries to scare it off by throwing a chair, to no avail.

“He took my cookie! Bro, I want my cookie back!" Sears exclaims in the video.

As the bear runs off with its snacks, an unnamed man approaches, wielding a shovel. He attempts to scare the bear, but it stands its ground. A tense standoff ensues, with the bear staring down its opponent.

“Bro is fighting a bear!” Sears shouts.

Fortunately, the man lands a hit, striking the bear's snout, causing it to retreat into the woods.

Sears later stated:

Living in Northern California, encountering bears is normal... I was very surprised when the man hit the bear on the head with the shovel.

Watch the full video here.

Thankfully, no one was hurt, but this incident serves as a reminder to practice proper food storage in bear country.