Have You Seen This? Officers free black bear locked in hotel bathroom

A black bear in Tennessee managed to lock itself in a bathroom at Quality Inn & Suites in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, on May 8.

A black bear in Tennessee managed to lock itself in a bathroom at Quality Inn & Suites in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, on May 8. (Straits Times via YouTube)


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GATLINBURG, Tennessee — A black bear isn't uncommon in the Gatlinburg, Tennessee, area, particularly in the woods or even running through a backyard. But finding one in a hotel bathroom is unusual ... even for that area.

Gatlinburg is a mountain town outside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Last Friday, the Gatlinburg Police Department was called to investigate a problem inside one of the bathrooms at the Quality Inn & Suites in the downtown area — a black bear had somehow managed to lock itself inside.

Video of the incident shows several officers working on the door to unlock it, with one officer appearing to have armed himself with a 2x4, cracking the door open and running to join his colleagues who have already taken cover.

Moments later, a black bear opens the door and walks out. He looks toward the officers, then runs in the opposite direction.

Police say the bear damaged a mirror in the bathroom. But neither the bear nor any officers were injured.

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Pat Reavy, KSLPat Reavy
Pat Reavy interned with KSL in 1989 and has been a full-time journalist for either KSL or Deseret News since 1991. For the past 25 years, he has worked primarily the cops and courts beat.
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