Breaking: Authorities Kill Mountain Lion in Redwood City Backyard

Updated 2:28 p.m.

A mountain lion that wandered into a Redwood City neighborhood this morning has been shot and killed by authorities as it posed a risk to people's safety, officials said.

The 110-pound cat was spotted about 8:15 a.m. near Alameda de las Pulgas and Whipple Avenue, near Sequoia Hospital.

Police responded and set up a perimeter, trapping the mountain lion in the backyard of a home at 2515 Whipple Ave. near Hillview Avenue, Redwood City spokesman Malcolm Smith said.

Officers notified nearby residents about the situation, and an automated phone call went out to about 600 neighbors telling them to stay inside, he said.

Authorities said they did not have a good enough aim to tranquilize the mountain lion. Because it was hissing at police, the animal posed a threat, they said.

"They had little choice," said Wally Oliver, who owns the home whose backyard the mountain lion crept into.

"Tranquilizers can take up to 10 or 15 minutes or more to take effect, and the prospect of the animal reacting violently to the dart and escaping the perimeter presented an unacceptable risk to the residents of the neighborhood," Smith said in a statement.

Cherie Oliver, the other residence owner, said she believed the city responded in the most appropriate and quickest way possible.

A game warden with the state Department of Fish and Game shot the lion twice with an  M1A1 rifle.

Because of the given situation, authorities had to consider the safety of the residents in the neighborhood, said Lt. Todd Tajari of the Department of Fish and Game.

The body was placed in a bag and escorted away in a Department of Fish and Wildlife truck.

"We have a hot tub in our backyard, and I'll think twice anytime I'm in there and hear a rustle in the leaves," Cherie Oliver said.

Correction: Lt. Todd Tajari originally estimated the weight of the animal to be 150 pounds.