Rug vs. reptile: Tallahassee Police officers face off against a 'feisty' alligator

The Tallahassee Police Department is no stranger to dangerous calls, but one call on Father's Day put officers outside their element.

Officers were sent to a home on Remer Court in northwest Tallahassee after a resident called regarding a "dangerous animal," TPD spokesperson Heather Merritt told the Tallahassee Democrat.

A roughly 2-foot alligator was lounging in the resident's front yard, before they called to have it removed.

TPD released edited body camera footage on social media Tuesday afternoon showing the great battle between man and reptile.

Officers are seen corralling the small gator in the front yard of a home using unconventional tools: an old rug and house broom.

One of the officers tossed the rug on top of the gator several times before resorting to using the resident's broom to pin the animal's head.

"Oh man, he's feisty," one of the officers said as the other officer brought the broom down on the hissing reptile's head.

The gator thrashed and writhed under the weight of the broom before the officers were able to trap the reptile and tape its mouth shut.

The alligator was safely detained in the back of a TPD car until the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission responded and relocated it, Merritt said.

"Tackling gators is what we do in Tallahassee both on patrol and on the field," a caption over the TPD video stated.

Breaking & trending news reporter Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee Police officers battle to detain 'feisty' gator in a yard