Black Bear was sedated and removed from the DC neighborhood

A backed bear spotted on the streets of a Washington DC residential area on Friday morning was stunned and safely removed by animal experts.

The black bear, nicknamed Franklin, which had been wreaking havoc in Brookland, northeast Washington, was stunned by a Humane Rescue Alliance worker around 10:20 a.m. Friday morning.

More commonly found in the more rural parts of Maryland and Virginia, the black bear has been sighted by residents strolling the streets and climbing trees in their neighborhoods.

The sightings were reported to law enforcement, who arrived at the bear’s whereabouts around 9 a.m. before telling neighbors to keep a half-block distance, they said The Washington Post.

Franklin sat in a tree scratching his back on a branch while police and firefighters waited for him to come down.

The black bear, nicknamed Franklin, caused havoc in Brookland in northeast Washington

“Want to get him?” A neighbor reportedly asked a DC police officer.

“Well,” the officer replied, “we’ll try to hunt him down.”

When Franklin decided to exit the tree at around 9:50 a.m., police officers wailed their sirens to keep an eye on him.

Police then scrambled to escort curious onlookers to safety, telling neighbors: “It’s time to go. Secure yourself in your homes,” he said. “The bear is free.”

Soon after, he was lulled in a local’s front yard and put in a secure cage after falling asleep.

Chris Schindler, vice president of field services for the Humane Rescue Alliance, said the bear is male and likely weighs more than 200 pounds.

He commended authorities for successfully handling the situation, including waiting for the correct equipment, including the cage, to arrive before sedation began.

“I think it was incredibly successful. “We had a great performance and a great show from a variety of county authorities,” he said.

The sightings were reported to law enforcement, who arrived at the bear’s location around 9 a.m

Franklin was soon calmed down in a local’s front yard and placed in a secure cage

Black bears are most prevalent in rural areas of Maryland and Virginia

However, black bears are occasionally seen in suburban areas, particularly during the summer months when young bears are looking for food and new territory

“Without all these parts, we would have had a problem.”

A resident, Miss Lilly, who saw the bear posted video on Twitter of it running across the street and behind a house.

“I just saw a black bear in DC…” 14 St, NE and Monroe….Please be careful!!!! I call[ed] 911 to alert them and they called pest control,” she wrote.

Paige Pearson, a spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, said the bear was “probably looking for food or its mother and just turned around a little.”

“I would assume it just messed up and went away,” she said.

Then, “when everyone showed up, he probably got scared and ran up the tree.”

Black bears are most common in rural areas of Maryland and Virginia, but are occasionally seen in suburban areas during the summer months when young bears are looking for food and new territory.