Black bear charges man at Lake Tahoe home, bear spray drives it off

A California man says a black bear attacked him outside his vacation home in Lake Tahoe during the Fourth of July holiday and sprayed him with bear spray in a dramatic encounter captured on video.

Cortlandt Koerwitz of Sacramento told KCRA 3 that the encounter began when her daughter saw the bear rummaging through a trash can in the home’s garage.

Koerwitz said he grabbed bear spray and went out to investigate, but the confrontation escalated within seconds as the animal ran toward him.

THE WOMAN, WHO CHARGED THE BEAR AND STOPPED IT ON A MORNING DOG WALK, RECORDS A HORRIBLE ENCOUNTER ON CAMERA.

“I caught something in my left eye and it was the bear coming in. We both flinched and I sprayed. And the overspray from that, you know, the shot hit me and my eyes,” Koerwitz said.

Video obtained by KCRA 3 shows Koerwitz approaching the garage and the bear suddenly charging toward him. After a few minutes, he sprays the bear and the bear turns and runs away.

Koerwitz told the station that bears frequent the Lake Tahoe area in search of food and often get into trash cans or unlocked vehicles, but he described the aggressive behavior in this encounter as unusual.

HIDDEN DANGER IN POPULAR US NATIONAL PARK FORCES BEAR STORIES TO COVER TRAILS AS CLIMBING

A black bear sits in a tree near a home in the Lake Tahoe area on December 14, 2006. Wildlife officials say black bears are common in the Tahoe Basin and encourage residents to provide garbage and other food attractants to reduce conflicts. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, black bears are common in the Lake Tahoe Basin and are often attracted to neighborhoods because of unsecured garbage and other easily accessible food sources. Wildlife officials encourage residents and visitors to pick up trash, keep food away from vehicles and remove other attractants to reduce conflicts between bears and people.

The Lake Tahoe Basin is home to a healthy population of black bears, and wildlife officials routinely remind residents and tourists that bears are naturally curious and have an extraordinary sense of smell, making improperly stored food and garbage a frequent source of human-bear encounters.

Black bear in tall grass (iStock)

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Koerwitz said he hopes sharing his experience serves as a reminder for residents and visitors to secure their trash, remove food from vehicles and remain vigilant when spending time in bear country.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for comment. A department spokesman said the investigation was forwarded to the Tahoe wildlife conflict team.