A Southern California teenager survived a bear attack using the only tool she had at her disposal: A laptop.

The 19-year-old, who remains unidentified but lives in Sierra Madre — around 20 miles northeast of Los Angeles — was napping in a chair at her backyard Monday evening. A black bear approached her, and suddenly struck, scratching at her arms and legs and biting her.

As she was being attacked, California Fish and Wildlife Capt. Patrick Foy told USA TODAY, she grabbed her laptop and smacked the bear with it.

"She managed to break free of the bear enough to run back inside," Foy told USA TODAY. She sustained minor injuries to her arms and legs, none of which are life-threatening.

The attack, Foy explained, was "100% unprovoked."

Bears aren't uncommon in the area, located in the foothills of the San Gabriel Valley. Unprovoked attacks, however, are rare, according to Wise About Bears, a Canadian advocacy group for black bears.

When faced with an attack from a black bear, Foy said, "the unequivocal answer in California is to fight back."

"The recommendation to play dead is in the incident of grizzly bears," he said, which do not live in the state.

Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/06/19/sierra-madre-california-woman-fends-off-black-bear-attack-laptop/3222725001/