A black bear entered an Arizona cabin on Thursday and attacked a 15-year-old boy who was watching TV before the teen's brave family chased the bear off. Brigham Hawkins, who suffers from a rare neurological disorder, was watching television after a long day of fishing in Alpine when the bear entered the cabin through the open front door.
According to reports, the black bear took several swipes at Hawkins, prompting a frantic effort by his family members, who were in a nearby cabin, to fend off the beast after hearing the boy screaming for his life. Hours later, authorities reached the home, and the bear was captured before being killed.
Near-Fatal Attack
"He hadn't realized it because it came in from behind, and it reached over and like swiped at his face twice. Got him on the nose and the cheek and then went ahead and got his forehead and the top of his head," his mother Carol Hawkins told AZ Family.
Brigham's older brother, Parker, heard the commotion and rushed to his sibling. Initially, he thought it was a giant dog, but quickly realized it was a bear when it started pursuing him, his mother told 12 News.
"Parker ran up on the porch and went into the other cabin to get away from the bear," she recalled.
"And the bear just paced back and forth on our porch."
Meanwhile, Brigham's father rushed to help his son in the cabin as he sustained injuries from the bold attack, Carol Hawkins said. He reached safety and called 911.
Bear Captured and Killed
Authorities arrived at the scene and located the 3-year-old bear about 120 feet from the cabin, where it was euthanized.
"It was thanks to the quick reaction by his brother and his family that they were able to distract the bear from what very easily in a matter of seconds could have turned into a real tragedy there," state Game and Fish Department Law Enforcement Supervisor Shawn Wagner told AZ Family.
Hawkins said her family was saddened to hear that the bear had to be killed, but understood that it was necessary. "People that ... don't understand wildlife or Arizona think that you know, this is just normal bear behavior, and we should be understanding," Hawkins told 12 News.
"I just wish people could understand ... this is not what you would expect, this is not normal. For whatever reason, there was something wrong with this bear, something was off."
This marks the 16th time a bear has attacked a person in the Copper State since 1990, with two of those incidents resulting in fatalities, according to reports.
Brigham suffered gashes to his face and arm, but doctors expect him to make a full recovery.
"We're extremely blessed and feel that somebody was most definitely watching over him because ... he's very small and has lots of medical issues and there was nothing he could have done to chase off this bear or fight off this bear," Hawkins told the station.
