Crime-busting gator kills Florida fugitive

A man who attempted to escape pursuing police by jumping into a Florida hotel's alligator pool was killed by a vigilante reptile, Local 10 reports. The unnamed perp, along with an accomplice, had apparently been breaking into cars on the Miccosukee Indian Reservation in Miami-Dade County. Miccosukee police, assisted by canine …

[Danny]

Has to be a candidate

For the illustrious Darwin Awards. I can't even imagine how running through a pool of killer reptiles could ever be considered a good escape route.

PS: We need a darwin icon!

[Mickey Porkpies]

An open and shut case

arf arf

[Charles Spalton]

Evolution in action

It's a shame that the 'gator is going to be destroyed for simply reacting to someone who ignored signs and warnings. Pity there was no sign saying "Don't feed the 'gators" really. Not that it would have made any difference to the volunteer meal, and the reasons for the law under which the alligator will be destroyed are clear enough, but still - what else was likely to happen when someone chooses to put themselves in the water with a wild or, worse, wild and human-habituated animal?

[Anonymous Coward]

Surviving digestion

> ...state law which dictates a death sentence for any reptile which "either digests or kills a person".

Is it possible that someone could be digested by a reptile without being killed?

[Anonymous Coward]

@Surviving digestion

Road kill, left overs... Poor alligator's had it even if it didn't actually do the killing bit.

[Anonymous Coward]

Darwin Award? Not in the same league.

Sorry, but this doesn't have the right level of comic stupidity necessary for a proper Darwin entry.

The guy was just panicking and ran from the cops, so obviously he wasn't hanging around to read warning signs or listen to passers-by.

It's nowhere near as good as the guy who tried to remove stubborn wheel nuts by firing a shotgun at them, although I admit that (unfortunately for comedy purposes) he didn't actually die.

[Jason Irwin]

Save the gator!

It didn't attack anyone in the traditional sense, elevenses just ran into its pool and, well, y'know....stuff happens.

The crook has effectively committed suicide by gator.

Give the cold-blooded one a medal.

[gareth]

@anonymous Coward about surviving digestion

did you not think that a gator could eat someone who was already dead

so it is possible to a gator to digest someone that it didn't kill

[Dennis]

'Gator dancing

Perhaps he was trying to be James Bond.

In Live and Let Die, James Bond escapes by running across the backs of crocodiles. I guess this just doesn't work with alligators.

[Edward Rose]

That escape could have cost an arm and a leg.

Well, in answer to "Surviving digestion"....Yes

Feel sorry for the 'gator though. It doesn't deserve to die for that. Do we kill humans for slaying cows and sheep for launch?

High time humanity extracted its head for its arse and started having a bit more respect for other life forms.

Don't get me wrong, I eat meat - I just support the 'gator in this one.

[Michael Compton]

WTF

He jumps into a gator pool duelly gets ate and the Gator has to be put down, not like the thing was walking down the street looking for a victim. Unlike what some people might think we are not the special and when an animal does what it has been doing for 100's of thousands that causes the death of human being its not evil its called life.

Same thing happens when ever people see a great white in the ocean, in the ocean would u believe near our beachs oh the humanity, they all call for action as if we have more right to be in the ocean than a fish. We are the all singing all dancing crap of the world but we are not special.

[Phil]

Brilliant Justice

Sod the state law, this should be statutory punishment for any pilfering gits caught fiddling with cars.

[Sampler]

I somewhat doubt it..

..but they could be dead already and then digested by the gator.

[Anonymous Coward]

RE: Surviving digestion

"Is it possible that someone could be digested by a reptile without being killed?"

It's certainly possible to be digested by a reptile without being killed by a reptile (think of disposing of a murder victim).

I guess the logic is that once it gets a taste for human flesh it becomes a danger to all humans.

Bummer for the 'gator though.

[Anonymous Coward]

Probaly breaking one of the reg club rules

Get me a gator sandwich and make it snappy...

[David Austin]

kama: It does work

A Darwin award candidate if I ever saw one.

Shame about the beasts being destroyed - for wild gator's, fair enough. But these were in captivity, so wouldn't cause anyone any problems... unless someone's retarded enough to jump in for a quick getaway.

[Tom]

@ Anonymous

"Is it possible that someone could be digested by a reptile without being killed?"

What do you do if your swallowed by a reptile? Run around and around until your all pooped out.

[David Roberts]

@Surviving digestion

..a good philosophical point.

I wonder what the penalty is for only partially digesting a living person? Say up to the knees?

However, it may be aimed at removing 'gators which eat dead bodies - which is probably quite likely if there is a boat or auto smash somewhere remote.

I suspect that the local 'gator population may also be a prime resource for recycling embarrasing corpses, which again should be discouraged.

P.S. Is it possible to combine icons? There seems to be no reference to Paris Hilton's involvement with IT so I was torn between the two.

[Spleen]

Eek

"He seemed to have no fear of people which indicates that he was fed."

So if full gators kill you when you fall into their pool, what on earth do hungry gators do to you?

[Law]

erm

Death to all worms.... they have been digesting living things for millions of years, it's time we wiped those buggers out!!

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't get it...

I can see destroying a gator that is rampaging around, hunting people down - but really, this was a "special delivery" right into the habitat. It isn't like the gator is supposed to know "Oh, can't each one of those! Where's that bird I was looking at earlier?" or anything.

Kind of weird how we try to place our ideals of social behavior on a creature that has a "see thing, eat thing" instinct.

[Anonymous Coward]

No title

>"see thing, eat thing"

Is that the Paris Hilton angle?

[Anonymous Coward]

Darwin Icon

RE:

Has to be a candidate

By Danny

Posted Wednesday 14th November 2007 12:16 GMT

For the illustrious Darwin Awards. I can't even imagine how running through a pool of killer reptiles could ever be considered a good escape route.

PS: We need a darwin icon!

I 2nd the motion for a Darwin icon

[Daniel B.]

Has anyone submitted it?

Because if not, I'm submitting it for the Darwin Awards. Might even win it. Please, if you have just crossed a bunch of warning signs AND people are shouting at you, *listen*. Or even better, jump back.

Better to spend some months in the slammer than being croc meal. Unless you're James Bond. Or Crocodile Dundee ;)

PD: Save the croc. It isn't like the croc went out on a killing rampage or something ...

[Anonymous Coward]

I feel sorry...

...for the 'gator. Not only does it have to deal with the taste of USAnian in its mouth, but also with being murdered for doing what comes naturally.

Poor thing. I hope they let it live.

[cortezzz]

To quote the perp-

"I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those meddling alligators!

[Mr Larrington]

Oh-oh! Crocogators!

I am mildly surprised that the stiff's realtives have not yet announced a lawsuit against the police, the hotel and the 'gator.

[Bryan B]

State law - how come?

I thought Indian reservations counted as sovereign territory - hence the casinos and stuff - in which case how can the gator be terminated?

Much better if it could be recruited into the Miccosukee police as a kind of watergoing K9 unit...

[Dion R]

Is this what they mean when...

ol'mate comentator dude on that Maximum Exposure show used to say something about being caught in the jaws of the law... bleh

[Tim Lane]

Could be wrong but

I could be talking out of my arse here as I have no real knowledge of this but don't American Indians (or what ever the politically correct term is) believe they can turn into various animals? Maybe it was a car owner getting his own back?

[Stratman]

Only in America...

I have seen quite a few signs in Florida forbidding trespassing or swimming with the caveat "......survivors will be prosecuted".

I don't think they were entirely for comic effect either.

[PT]

Thumbs down for the beast

I lived in Florida for several years and I'm afraid I agree with offing the gator. Gators are everywhere, even in urban areas, where they travel through the storm drains and large roadside ditches provided to handle the 500 inch annual rainfall. They're very strong and they can run very fast on land. There's plenty of other stuff for them to eat so human casualties are rare - children used to play and jet-ski by day in the lake next to my apartment, and at night we'd sit on the dock and pick out the alligator eyes with a flashlight - but the last thing anyone wants is a gator loose in town with a taste for long pig.

There are worse fears in Florida than man-eating reptiles. If you want to see someone's life shredded, just make an anonymous tip to local law enforcement that he/she owns a piranha.

[Fozzy]

Australian Salt Water crocs

The US 'grators have some catching up to do. Our Salt Water crocs have been the most effective tool in keeping the German and US tourist population in check for decades

In most cases we don't destroy the crocs, just relocate them to other problem areas. Only wish that included withe various gaols around the country

[Lee]

@Australian Salt Water crocs

Wikipedia gives.

Saltwater Crocodile

• largest of all living crocodilians and reptiles

Saltwater crocodiles can take monkeys, kangaroo, wild boar, dingos, goannas, birds, domestic livestock, pets, **water buffalo**, gaur, leopards, sharks, and humans, among other large animals as well.

...strength to drag a fully grown water buffalo into a river, or crush a full-grown bovid's skull between its jaws.

I live in AUS. I've seen these. SCARY!

[Tony Smith]

Darwin Awards

For the illustrious Darwin Awards. I can't even imagine how running through a pool of killer reptiles could ever be considered a good escape route.

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Seconded