LA VERNE, Calif. >> Authorities say a bear had to be euthanized after being struck by a vehicle while crossing a Los Angeles-area freeway near mountains.

California Highway Patrol Officer Stephan Brandt says the animal managed to limp to the shoulder after being hit this morning on Interstate 210.

But wildlife officials say the bear was euthanized after a veterinarian’s exam.

The bear was spotted on the ground in bushes bordering a housing development in the foothill suburb of La Verne.

Brandt says the driver who hit the bear returned to the scene.

It’s common for bears to wander down into the foothills from the San Gabriel Mountains, which parallel the freeway.