Black bear raiding a garbage can at Lake Tahoe garage triggers dramatic wildlife encounter

A California man says a black bear charged at him outside his Lake Tahoe vacation home over the Fourth of July holiday, prompting him to deploy bear spray in a dramatic encounter captured on video.

Cortlandt Koerwitz of Sacramento told KCRA 3 that the encounter began after his daughter spotted the bear rummaging through a garbage can inside the home's garage.

Koerwitz said he grabbed bear spray and went outside to investigate, but the encounter escalated within seconds when the animal rushed toward him.