The two mountain bikers did what they were supposed to do when they noticed a mountain lion tailing them on a trail east of Seattle.
They got off their bikes. They faced the beast, shouted and tried to spook it. After it charged, one even smacked the cougar with his bike, and it ran off.
It wasn't enough, authorities said.
As they stood trying to catch their breath, the cougar returned, biting one of them on the head and shaking him, Capt. Alan Myers of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police said Sunday.
“He had his whole entire head in the jaws of this, of this animal and was being shaken around,” Myers said.
The second cyclist ran, and the animal dropped the first victim and pounced on him, killing him and dragging him back to what appeared to be its den.
"They did everything they were supposed to do," King County sheriff's Sgt. Ryan Abbott said. "But something was wrong with this cougar."