Officers made quite the stop early Wednesday morning in the streets of a Tampa neighborhood: a 9-foot alligator they said appeared to be out for a stroll.
The Tampa Police Department spotted the reptile around 1 a.m., NBC affiliate WFLA-TV reported.
Two members of the department held the gator down while a third wrapped duct tape around its mouth.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission arrived and took the gator into its custody.
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Phil Walters, an alligator trapper contracted with the FWC, said it was surprising to see the gator so close to downtown Tampa.
“I’ve seen the (Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office) deputies deal with them. Tampa police, not so much, so I was really surprised and happy when I just showed up and saw they were putting me out of a job,” Walters said. “And they did a great job. So I guess there’s some good ol’ boys on the TPD, they had that thing taken care of for me.”
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