Bear Attack!

from aol:

TOKYO (Sept. 20) — A bear injured nine people at a highway rest stop in central Japan before being shot dead in a souvenir shop, a firefighter said Sunday.
The black bear seriously injured four men Saturday afternoon in Nyukawa, a small mountain town about 140 miles west of Tokyo, said firefighter Tomohiko Akano.
The 4-foot animal came down a mountain path and attacked people at a bus parking lot. One tourist tried to beat the animal back with a stick, but the bear retaliated and seriously injured the man, the Examiner.com reported.
According to reports cited by the Examiner, several employees at a nearby souvenir shop tried to help the injured man, but were also wounded by the bear. The animal eventually entered a lodge where it was trapped in the souvenir shop. Panic ensued but the animal was cornered and shot dead by a hunter, according to media reports.
No one suffered life-threatening injuries in the attack, which lasted about an hour, reports said.
A photograph from the scene showed the bear mauling a prone person in a parking lot while a man attempted to scare it off.
The rest stop is on a mountainous road that is open during summer months only to licensed buses and taxis. The area is frequented by tourists for its scenic views.