Man dead, brother injured in first fatal mountain lion attack in California in 20 years

by TOM AIZENBERG | KRNV EL DORADO COUNTY, Ca. — One man is dead after being attacked by a mountain lion in Georgetown, California on Saturday afternoon.

On March 23 at approximately 1:15 p.m., the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office (EDSO) received a 911 call from an 18-year-old who reported that a mountain lion near the remote area of Darling Ridge Road and Skid Road in Georgetown attacked him and his 21-year-old brother. The caller suffered traumatic injuries to his face and was separated from his brother during the attack.

EDSO deputies and paramedics arrived at 1:34 p.m. and began to administer aid to the caller while additional deputies began to search for his brother.

Ten minutes after their arrival, deputies found a crouched mountain lion next to a person on the ground. The mountain lion was between the deputies and the person so they discharged their firearms to scare off the mountain lion.

After attempting to administer aid, the man on the ground was declared dead on the scene.

On Sunday, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) confirmed the mountain lion was euthanized and DNA samples from the scene matched samples taken from the lion carcass.

“The male mountain lion weighed approximately 90 pounds and appeared to be in healthy condition,” CDFW said.

Officials said it is the first confirmed fatality from a mountain lion attack in California since 2004.