Feisty Alligator Knocks Out Two Officers
OCOEE, FL (CBS Local) - An alligator that went roaming into a Florida neighborhood decided not to leave without a fight. In fact, the gator literally knocked out an animal control officer sent to capture it.
Residents in Ocoee called Florida Fish and Wildlife trappers in late May when the eight-foot gator wandered into the area and made itself at home. "It walked for 20 steps and then it just (kind of) sat down and walked for 20 steps and sat down," Walter Day told WKMG. "It was (kind of) odd to watch."
Trappers and local police eventually arrived to deal with the giant pest and quickly tied it up. However, the reptile wasn't ready to go and had a violent message for the officers.
"The gator flipped back and head-butted the guy," Mr. Day said. "(It) knocked him to the ground. At that point, it was (kind of) free and whacked police officers with its tail."
The trapper was knocked out cold by the beast's headbutt and it's massive tail struck a Florida police officer so hard, she was knocked out of the shot of this Instagram recording. Both officers were tended to by police and residents at the scene.
The feisty gator's attack is just one incident in a recent explosion of alligator sightings across Florida and other southern states. Local experts say the creatures are in the middle of their mating season, so large male gators will be on the move through the end of June.