A mountain lion was spotted roaming a San Francisco neighborhood on Friday (September 18), prompting police and animal control crews to cordon off the area and residents asked to stay indoors.

Footage showed an animal control officer searching the neighborhood on foot before the mountain lion darted out from bushes and ran along a sidewalk, rounding a corner before it disappeared again.

The mountain lion was tranquilized and captured eventually after a stand-off which lasted a few hours, and the sedated animal was transported out of the city and released into the wild, according to city officials.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 18, 2026) (ABC AFFILIATE KGO - No use USA / No archive)

1. ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER WALKING ON SIDEWALK, LOOKING FOR MOUNTAIN LION / MOUNTAIN LION RUNNING OUT FROM BUSHES NEAR THE OFFICER

2. MOUNTAIN LION RUNNING ON SIDEWALK, ROUND A CORNER, OVER POTTED PLANTS AND INTO BUSHES

3. ARMED ANIMAL CONTROL OFFERS STANDING BESIDE VEHICLES ON ROAD

4. ANIMAL CONTROL CREW CARRYING TRANQUILIZED MOUNTAIN LION AFTER CAPTURE

5. BARRIER TAPE, TRANQUILIZED MOUNTAIN LION SEEN LYING ON GROUND BEHIND ANIMAL CONTROL VEHICLES AFTER CAPTURE