Mountain lion was on the loose. Could this happen in Laguna Beach?

A mountain lion was on the loose and hunting in an Azusa neighborhood . Police asked the neighbors to stay indoors.

By Ashley Ludwig,

Azusa — A mountain lion was seen on live footage hunting in an Azusa area backyard Monday morning. After watching the large cat's movements, authorities on scene were able to sedate and capture the creature that startled residents early Monday.

The mountain lion was first seen just before 8 a.m., hunkered down on the 600 block of Virginia Ann Drive in the city of Azusa, Azusa police officers reported.

Azusa resident Deborah Moore told the Los Angeles times that she was among the first to see the enormous creature while on her way home from a neighbor's house.

"I was stunned and amazed at the beauty. I didn't feel scared, it didn't seem like it was aggressive," she told the LA Times of the mountain lion she described as the size of a small horse or pony. "We just had a kind of staring contest and I didn't want to take off and have it chase me or something."

After the staring event, Moore was told to go inside by an Azusa police officer. At that point, the mountain lion jumped into Moore's backyard, and hid in the bushes near her spa. A drone was launched to monitor the large cat, according to Azusa police, which followed the animal as it moved through yards and over top of sheds and outbuildings.

Not far from wild land, the residences where the beast was prowling are nestled next to a golf course in the area that backs up to the San Gabriel Mountain Foothills.

By 8:30 a.m., officers from the California Fish and Wildlife services were on scene of the residence that was near open space.

"Wardens responded, and the Azusa lion was safely tranquilized and secured for transport," they said, adding that the plan for the secured lion is to "return it to a suitable habitat.

According to Azusa police, officers and Fish and Wildlife wardens were on hand to contain the mountain lion and make sure it doesn't pose any threat to anyone's safety.

Area residents were notified door to door, according to Azusa Police.

Both Azusa Police officers and the California Fish and Wildlife wardens entered a rear yard of the home, where the wild animal was sedated under a tree. According to witnesses at the scene, the Fish and Wildlife wardens described the large cat as an adult without any sort of tracking device.

They transported the creature without further incident.