Pacifica police issue warning after mountain lion spotted in homeowner's backyard

PACIFICA, Calif. (KGO) -- Pacifica police are warning residents after a mountain lion was spotted in a homeowner's backyard.

Police say the adult cat was 5 to 6 feet long. It was last seen in a back yard on the 700 block of Big Bend Drive.

A mundane chore became memorable for a Pacifica family Wednesday night. "My sister was washing dishes and she yelled out, 'there's a mountain lion,"' Pacifica resident Micah DeLaCruz said.

"I was like, 'come here quick, quick, quick, quick,"' Pacifica resident Alana Perez said.

DeLaCruz took cellphone video from inside. "I was pretty shocked I got that video too," he said.

Perez said she was glad she was on the other side of glass.

Just as quickly as the mountain lion appeared, it disappeared. "It hopped the fence next door," DeLaCruz said.

The mountain lion went next door to the Bernardi's backyard, and they wouldn't have known except Pacifica police knocked on their front door. "When the officers came in I warned them that we had Hawk and that she is capable of letting a blood curdling scream go, which is heard houses away when she's inside," Pacifica resident Susan Bernardi said.

Sure enough as Bernardi took the officers out back almost on cue, Hawk the Macaw said goodbye. "And I just told the officers 'the cat is gone, I'm sure by now' scared everybody, they were glad I had warned them," she said.

The mountain lion hasn't been seen since.