The two-year-old male mountain lion was first spotted on the street about 1:15 p.m. in the area of Odyssey and Water Works Way, near Oak Creek Community Park, before it ran into the building, according to the Irvine Police Department.
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"I'm like, 'Oh my gosh. Is there a robber? Is there a shooting? What's going on?'" said Claire Leenerts of Bishops Cuts and Colors. "So, I start to walk towards the front and I see the mountain lion dart back from the glass and ran into the glass wall of our store. It was insane."
The occupants of the business that the mountain lion entered managed to get out before authorities made their way inside and sedated the animal.
The mountain lion was taken to a veterinarian by animal control units for evaluation, and will eventually be released back into the wild, according to Irvine police.
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No injuries were reported.