Tampa police officers captured a massive alligator early Wednesday morning as it walked on a city street.
The 9-foot-4-inch-long alligator roamed around before officers caught it on Howard Avenue in the vicinity of Kathleen Street, according to FOX 13 News.
Police officers first encountered the alligator at around 1 a.m. Two held it down while a third ensured the mouth of the massive reptile remained closed with duct tape, WFLA reported.
Eventually, alligator trapper Phil Walters arrived at the scene to assist the officers. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Nuisance Alligator Program contractor expressed his surprise at the actions of the officers, saying “normally, TPD doesn’t get down and dirty,” according to WFLA.
A SCALY SITUATION 🐊 Tampa police officers wrangled a 9-foot alligator found wandering through a neighborhood intersection early this morning. Read more: https://t.co/mtIVNDDQSF pic.twitter.com/OyL7GHtw0L
— WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) March 29, 2023
Moving the restrained alligator into the back of a truck turned into a four-man operation, the outlet reported. (RELATED: ‘Only In Florida’: Gator Literally Pulls Apart Metal Fence To Crawl Through)
Walters said the alligator could have hailed from the nearby Hillsborough River as a creek connects it to Howard Avenue, according to FOX 13 News. The trapper said alligator mating season is rapidly approaching and that he already captured 10 alligators in the course of the past week.
Walters added that situational awareness “will keep you out of trouble, because that alligator, if you had hit him in a small car, you’d be totaled,” according to WFLA.