Mountain lion tranquilized, removed from Pasadena neighborhood

A mountain lion was tranquilized and removed from a Pasadena neighborhood on Friday after it was spotted near an apartment complex at Del Mar Boulevard and Euclid Avenue. The young male lion, which had not been previously tagged, was captured by California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) officials and will be released into the Angeles National Forest. The incident prompted shelter-in-place orders for nearby residents, including those near an elementary and middle school, as well as a graduation ceremony. The lion was first reported around 11 a.m., and officials remain unclear about how it crossed the 210 Freeway into the heavily populated area. This is the third mountain lion sighting in Pasadena in the past month, following two previous encounters near the 210 Freeway. The CDFW confirmed the lion was healthy and fitted with a tracking tag before its release. City officials described the sighting as rare, noting that mountain lions have not been documented this far south of the freeway in the past 30 years. The incident follows a similar mountain lion capture in Santa Monica last week, though officials confirmed the two cases are unrelated.