Security and Ring camera video showed the wild cat moving through the neighborhood just before 3 a.m., an unusual sight for residents.
The City of Hanford said while it is not uncommon for a mountain lion to wander into town, it is rare.
One video captured a surprise encounter when the animal suddenly jumped out from a bush, startling a gardener working outside. The worker watched as the mountain lion ran down the street.
"I came home from work around 1:30 pm, and my neighbor's gardener approached me and said, 'Hey, there was a lion!' He pointed to the corner here and the lion was sitting behind a bush," Gabriel Strickland said.
Hours before that encounter, another Ring camera recorded the young mountain lion roaming the neighborhood before sunrise.
Hours before that close encounter, Strickland was getting ready to head to work.
"We've seen reports that there were actually photos of the mountain lion, about five or six houses down the street at 5 a.m.," he said.
An additional video showed the animal moving quickly past a home. By Wednesday afternoon, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, with help from local law enforcement, located and captured the mountain lion near Centennial Drive and Merritt Street.
Brian Johnson, the Community Relations Manager for the City of Hanford, said officers responded after receiving a report of the animal resting nearby.
"We received a call from a resident saying they spotted the mountain lion lying under a car and so we responded to that area. Upon arrival, the mountain lion moved a little bit farther away into a bushy area and laid down," Johnson said.
City officials said there had been multiple sightings of the mountain lion in recent days, but its exact location was not confirmed until Wednesday.
Wildlife officials said mountain lions typically avoid populated areas and suggested the animal may have been searching for basic resources.
"This mountain lion might be looking for food, water and other resources. He likely followed the Kings River corridor down from the foothills east of Hanford into town," said Krysten Kellum with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Officials said they are now assessing the health of the young mountain lion. If it receives a clean bill of health, they plan to return it to its natural habitat.
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