Cobra caught after taking residence in Houston luxury condo complex

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Police and animal control officers captured a venomous albino snake that had camped out in the hallway of a luxury Houston condominium building and prevented frightened residents from using their front doors, authorities said on Thursday.

The two-foot (60-cm) long albino monocled cobra was captured by officers using a broom and a pillow case, and then euthanized because of its aggressive nature, police said.

Authorities initially tried to catch the snake using a radio controlled robot and laundry basket.

Resident Jan Johnson was about to leave her apartment when she saw the snake and thought better of trying to make her way outside.

"We screamed and we ran back into the apartment and shut the door," Johnson told Houston TV station KTRK.

Neighbor Joseph Manglicmot was coming home when he saw the snake at his door and looked for another way in.

"I went out my neighbor's window and scaled the wall into my place," Manglicmot told the station.

Condo managers are not sure how the snake made its way to the hallway and reminded residents that they are barred from keeping snakes as pets, KTRK said.

The monocled cobra is native to South and Southeast Asia.

(Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Will Dunham)