Video shows bear charging at man outside of his vacation home

TAHOMA, Calif. —

A Sacramento man says a bear charged at him outside his Lake Tahoe vacation home on the Fourth of July, an incident that was captured on camera.

Cortlandt Koerwitz said his daughter first spotted the bear after it got into a garbage can in the garage. When he went to check, with bear spray in hand, the animal suddenly rushed at him.

“I just kind of caught something out of my left eye, and it was the bear rushing in. We were both startled, and I just shot the spray. And the overspray from that, you know, the shot hit me and hit my eyes,” Koerwitz said.

Koerwitz said bears are common in the area and often get into cars or trash looking for food, but he noted that this kind of aggressive behavior is unusual.

He hopes his story reminds people to secure garbage, keep food out of cars, and stay alert.