Cops “Arrest” Alligator For Loitering In Tampa Bay

Cops with the Tampa Police Department were in for quite the night when they received a call about an alligator loitering in the streets near the Raymond James Stadium.

When they arrived at the scene, they found the massive, 9ft gator in the street, refusing to budge. They could’ve stood by and waited for people trained in wildlife to arrive, like an alligator trapper with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, but instead, they took matters into their own hands.

The police department shared bodycam footage of the incident on YouTube, showing an officer approaching the gator and instigating it.

The large gator snapped at the officer several times, responding to each poke and prod with understandable aggression.

Eventually, two officers sat on top of the alligator and pinned him down while another officer lassoed his mouth shut. They proceeded to tape his snout shut and covered his eyes with a towel. Then, they got to work tying his front and back legs together.

Speaking with WFLA, Phil Walters, an alligator trapper contracted with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said that he was surprised to find the officers had subdued the ‘gator since that’s typically not their job.

Either way, Walters was happy that he didn’t have to do the trapping since the officers had taken care of it. As for the fate of the gator? WFLA reports that the trappers decide if they want to deal with the hassle and cost of relocating the animal to a safer, more suitable location. Many trappers sell the alligators for meat and skin as an easier, more cost-effective way to dispose of them, so it depends on if Walters is compassionate or wants a quick buck as to what will happen with the “arrested” alligator.

You can watch the “arrest” for yourself in the video below: