Video: Giant, Growling Gator In South Tampa Leaves Drivers Gaping

TAMPA, FL — The flashing lights, traffic barricades and cadre of uniformed officers had Tampa residents imagining a shocking crime had occurred on West Kathleen Street and North Howard Avenue during the early-morning hours of Wednesday.

But, what appeared to be a horrific accident or shooting was actually a horrendously huge alligator found snapping, growling and thrashing on the roads of South Tampa, terrifying passersby.

Calling it a "jaw-dropping video," Tampa police posted body-worn camera footage taken around 1:20 a.m. of officers wrangling the 10-foot beast.

At one heart-stopping point, the alligator lunged toward officers. But in the match of Gator v Cops, the gator didn't stand a chance, especially when one officer produced a roll of ever-handy duct tape, which proved to be the ideal item for subduing an angry gator.

While one officer called for a towel, saying, "I'm gonna cover his eyes so he chills out," two other officers wound duct tape around the gator's jaws, clamping them shut.

Tampa police said no gators or officers were injured during the encounter.

"The growling gator was taken for a ride by our partners from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to find a more suitable home," said Tampa police on its Facebook page.

The FWC said alligator mating season has begun so Floridians can expect to find gators show up in other nontraditional settings as they search for a partner.

But never fear. Not all gators are as huge as this guy.

Sgt. Kenneth Petrillo and Officer Jason Krajnyak recently rescued an injured baby alligator in New Tampa, taking the little gator to a local veterinarian for treatment. The vet said the gator would have likely died if the officers hadn't intervened.

Once it's healthy, the baby gator will be released back into the wild, Tampa police said.