A swarm of hundreds of bees struck the Los Angeles neighborhood of Encino on Monday, sending two men to the hospital, according to CBS.
The bees swarmed a man and a volunteer police officer, Newsweek reported, citing KABC. The man was stung multiple times and was rushed to a hospital. The volunteer police officer tried to swat the bees away, but fell to the ground as the bees surrounded him. He tried to stand, but the swarm kept attacking, and he fell down again.
Izak Kharrazi of local bee removal company All Valley Honey and Bee told CBS News of L.A. that there was “A cloud of hundreds of bees over there. I said, “oh, boy.” That’s why right away I put my gear on, because I could see them. They’re mad as could be.``
The volunteer officer was in the area on another call and rushed to help. He was conscious when he was taken to the hospital after receiving treatment from paramedics, police said. Police said he’s in stable condition. There’s no information on how the other man is doing.
The bees are believed to have come from a hive attached to a home in the area. A bee removal company sprayed the hive trying to kill the bees, as fire department workers warned residents to stay indoors and close all windows and doors, according to CBS.
“This is not a normal behavior for these bees to be this angry, to want to kill you,” Kharrazi said. “This is not OK.”