ROSLYN, Washington — An adult male black bear mauled a 17-year-old girl in the arm in Kittitas County on Tuesday evening, causing “superficial scratches and torn clothing.”

According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the incident occurred around 9:30 p.m. in Roslyn near Cle Elum.

The girl’s father asked to remain anonymous but said his teenage daughter was taking out trash from the Coal Chute Café & Pub in the dark at the end of her shift. He said there were two vehicles parked in front of the dumpster, so she didn’t see the bear.

“They didn’t see each other and scared the bear, which then lashed out at her. We were really lucky it wasn’t worse,” he told KOMO News. “It was dark, the bear just didn’t see or hear her. From where she was, she couldn’t see him and they just ran face to face in front of the can.”

Officials with the Fish and Wildlife Service said the bear was quickly located nearby and killed with assistance from the Cle Elum/Roslyn Police Department and the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office. They said forensic evidence was collected and the bear will be taken to the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab for further testing.

“They noticed it pretty quickly after it happened, everyone was here very quickly,” the victim’s father said. “They gave a syringe and were able to stay with it until it went down, which didn’t take very long.”

Officials with the Department of Fish and Wildlife said they had to kill the bear because evidence on the ground clearly showed that the bear had become accustomed to being fed by humans, such as from garbage cans and dumpsters.

“Unfortunately, once bears learn about a non-natural food source, they will keep coming back for more and may lose their fear of humans,” said Becky Elder of the Washington State Fish and Wildlife Police.

Just a few weeks earlier, on July 17, Elder said, there was another incident in town in which a homeowner was forced to kill a black bear when it attacked his dog.

Neighbors said bear sightings in the area are common this time of year.

“I had them in my backyard, I had them nearby, I looked out the window and there they were,” said Al Miller, who lives near where the latest incident occurred. “People take their garbage out, either the bears eat it or they don’t.”

Officials and residents urge residents and visitors to dispose of their trash safely and remove all food sources, such as fallen berries in the yard or bird feeders, to keep them away from outdoor bears.

“Don’t intentionally feed bears, don’t keep garbage cans in the garage all the time, make sure you have bear-proof containers, and leave garbage inside until pickup day,” Elder said.

Some residents who spoke to KOMO News also reported that overflowing trash cans at nearby campgrounds have also become a problem.

“Either they need more trash cans up there at the campgrounds or they really need to bring some, because every weekend there are mountains of trash piling up up there by the river, getting out of control and it’s peak season for the bears,” said the victim’s father.

“We live in nature. As long as we live here, there will be bears, there will be encounters,” he added. “Everyone needs to be aware of that. It’s really unfortunate, but if we get the attractants under control here, we can make that much less likely.”

This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.