'Hands where we can see them': Cops arrest 9-foot alligator loitering in the streets of Tampa Bay, Florida

In what comes as a bizarre incident, a nine-foot alligator has been arrested in the southeastern US state of Florida after it was found loitering on the streets of Tampa Bay. The incident transpired on Wednesday near the Raymond James Stadium where the NFL team Tampa Bay Buccaneers play.

The Tampa Police Department took to its YouTube account to share a video of the bodycam footage of the officers. The department titled the video' See You Later, Alligator...' with a cheeky description that read, "No alligators (or officers) were injured in this “jaw-dropping” video".

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According to The New York Post report, when the officers approached the alligator and poked it with a baton, the slithery creature started whipping its tail aggressively.

“Tape his front legs together … like behind his back, like you’re handcuffing him," one of the officers can be heard saying in the video. “Then you’re gonna do the same thing with his back legs.”

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It took a collective effort from the officers to tame the alligator whose massive size surprised many. Two officers held the reptile down while one wrapped the rope around the gator's mouth. To completely neutralise the creature, its eyes were covered with a towel, mouth taped shut and front and hind legs tied together.

According to reports, the gator was later handed toFlorida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC) to find a more suitable home.

It was an unusual sight as police department officers are not often seen capturing amphibious reptiles.

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“I’ve seen the 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. 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," said Phil Walters, an alligator trapper employed with FFWCC was quoted as saying by local media.

According to various estimates, Florida has over 1.3 million alligators and their population has led authorities to establish a statewide Nuisance Alligator Program (SNAP) to capture the troublemaker gators.

(With inputs from agencies)

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