A shocking incident unfolded at the renowned St. Regis Aspen Resort in Aspen, Colorado, on the night of October 23 when a bear ventured into the luxury hotel’s premises and attacked a security guard. This unexpected encounter, captured on security footage, left the security guard injured and the bear ultimately euthanized. The on-duty security guard was alerted to reports of a bear inside the hotel and bravely decided to investigate the situation.
According to a statement released by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), upon entering the hotel’s kitchen, the security guard came face to face with the intruding bear. The security camera footage shows the bear casually roaming around the kitchen, followed by the guard who cautiously approaches. However, the situation quickly escalated when the bear swiped at the guard, knocking him to the ground, and then made a hasty retreat. In the immediate aftermath of the attack, the security guard managed to call 911, and he was promptly transported to a nearby hospital for treatment of the scratches he sustained on his back. Fortunately, his injuries were not life-threatening, and he was released from the hospital after receiving medical care. Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers were alerted to the situation at 11 p.m. on the night of the attack, and they launched a search operation for the bear. It took until the early hours of Wednesday, October 25 for wildlife officers to successfully locate and apprehend the bear. According to CPW, the officers found the bear near Conner Park and employed non-lethal tactics to haze the animal into a tree within the park. Following this, a tranquilizer gun was used to immobilize the bear, and it was safely removed from the tree using an Aspen Fire ladder truck. Regrettably, per CPW policy, the bear was humanely euthanized, marking a somber end to this extraordinary series of events. Investigation into the incident revealed that the bear had gained access to the hotel through a series of doors near the hotel’s courtyard. In the midst of the search for the bear involved in the attack, CPW officers observed the presence of eight other bears moving about downtown Aspen. See below;
