Overview
- Oro Valley police confirmed a bear entered the Fry’s at First Avenue and Oracle Road around 6:30 a.m. Monday, ran through aisles for a few minutes, and exited through the automatic doors.
- No injuries or significant damage were reported, and an officer helped clear shoppers from the store as the animal moved toward the exit.
- Authorities lost track of the bear after it left; witnesses reported a sighting near a Starbucks in the same shopping center shortly afterward.
- The animal was described as a young bear in eyewitness video captured by shopper and wildlife photographer Charlie Alolkoy, who said the scene quickly became chaotic as employees evacuated customers.
- Arizona Game and Fish says recent dry weather has reduced natural food sources, leading to more bear activity in the region, and any captured bear could be relocated to a sanctuary or euthanized if deemed a threat.