Maybe he was trying to take a bite out of his Christmas shopping list.
People heading to a Florida mall were shocked Tuesday night when they arrived to find a 12-foot, 600-pound alligator prowling by the entrance.
Deputies from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) raced to the scene at the Coconut Point Mall in the city of Estero and quickly apprehended the scaly intruder.
A short video posted on the Facebook page for the sheriff’s office showed at least a half-dozen people straining to lift and carry the monster gator to a vehicle waiting to cart it away.
The agency wrote in a post that working together, the deputies and FWC agents “got this massive guy to safety!”
A trio of deputies later happily posed up with the toothy predator, after it had been secured with restraints.
Florida residents were shocked to find a 12-foot, 600-pound alligator prowling by a mall entrance. NBC2
In a short video posted on Facebook, at least a half-dozen people straining to lift and carry the gator to a vehicle waiting to cart it away. NBC2“There truly is never a dull moment while on patrol here in Lee County, eh?” the tongue-in-cheek statement from the sheriff’s office read. “If you’re chompin’ at the bit to get into law enforcement, we promise excitement and a great workout here.”
It was not immediately known how the nuisance alligator ended up at the mall.
