Bear brings traffic to a halt on busy Southern California freeway

A bear brought motorists to a stop in Santa Clarita on Tuesday evening when it wandered onto a busy freeway and paused to look around.

The traffic-snarling omnivore was spotted shortly after 7 p.m. on the 14 Freeway near Newhall Avenue.

Video recorded by @dan-kanes and shared with KTLA shows the bear walking on the freeway, looking around and then turning back toward the hills.

“Motorists displayed compassion and patience for the bear,” said Kanes, who described the bear as looking “a little confused.”

KTLA Morning News anchor Chris Schauble said he was stuck in the backup after being alerted by his daughter.

“So, I’m leaving the gym and sure enough it’s nuts out there … I thought, ‘Oh there was an accident,’ I had no idea it was a bear,” he said.

Wildlife experts say spring is the time of year that bears leave their winter dens in search of food.

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