CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- Arapahoe County officials finally captured a black bear that had been running wild through a neighborhood in Centennial for nearly four hours Wednesday afternoon.

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Pictures from Airtracker 7 showed wildlife officers carrying the tranquilized bear out of a wooded area, covering her head with a blanket, tying her arms and feet together, and spraying her with a garden hose. A large group of officers, news media and onlookers watched as the sedated female bear was scrubbed down.

The bear was caught in the yard of a house on Arapahoe Place, just east of Nobles Avenue.

"It took that bear about 20 minutes ... for the chemical to take effect before it really started to slow down," Undersheriff Grayson Robinson said. "I think all of you were following us and you knew how that bear was moving even after we had tranquilized it."

For most of Wednesday afternoon, the female bear was spotted sprinting across back yards and through bushes, jumping over fences onto trees and on top of roofs.

Local officials had been tracking this particular bear since Tuesday afternoon, when several people reported seeing it in their neighborhood.

At one point during Wednesday's chase, sheriff's deputies cornered the bear when it was sleeping in a woman's back yard on Detroit Court. Deputies were 15 feet from the bear, but instead of shooting the animal with their regular pistol, they waited for officials from the Department of Wildlife to arrive. When wildlife officers arrived with tranquilizer guns, the bear bolted and jumped the fence.

"This is unbelievable," said Aton Barnes. Her back yard was where the bear spent most of the day napping, 7NEWS reported. "I can't believe that here it was, spending an hour or two in my own yard."

During the search for the bear, residents in the Cherry Knolls neighborhood were asked to stay indoors, but the chase and subsequent hunt drew a large crowd. Curious onlookers climbed on top of roofs and jammed the streets near Arapahoe Road and Colorado Boulevard.

One lane on Arapahoe Road was closed because the bear had been spotted walking along the fence adjacent to it. Authorities feared that the animal would jump the barrier and cross the busy street, causing further problems.

The 4-year-old, 125-pound black bear was fast -- eluding officers since 1 p.m. Thick brush and large trees in the neighborhood gave her cover. Even if wildlife officers got within several feet of the bear, they were unable to see her.

"They can travel 25 mph, which is about as fast as an Olympic athlete in a sprint," Cameron Lewis of the Colorado Division of Wildlife said.

The bear was mostly confined to a two to three block area in Cherry Knolls, running around from yard to yard.

Once wildlife authorities have checked out the bear's condition and tagged her, she will be relocated to an open space wilderness area up high in the Rockies, according to Todd Malmsbury of the Colorado Division of Wildlife. If she is spotted wandering near homes and people again, she may be killed, officials said.