Louisiana man attacked by alligator after fleeing traffic stop
A Louisiana man was attacked by an alligator after he fled a traffic stop tied to suspected impaired driving and jumped into a swamp, according to state police and sheriff’s officials. He was later arrested with injuries to both arms.
The incident occurred on Sunday when Louisiana State Police received reports of a Toyota Supra being driven recklessly on Interstate 10 near Bonnabel Boulevard in Jefferson Parish. The vehicle had also struck a concrete barrier and sustained a tire blowout, according to officials.
Troopers later found the vehicle traveling south on Interstate 310 in St. Charles Parish and conducted a traffic stop. The driver was identified as 40-year-old Victor Rivas of Montz, Louisiana.
State police said troopers noticed signs of impairment while speaking with Rivas. During the DWI investigation, Rivas fled on foot and jumped from the elevated portion of Interstate 310 into the swamp below.
Troopers and deputies with the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office began searching for Rivas, who was later seen walking along U.S. Highway 61, also known as Airline Highway. When deputies approached to take him into custody, he fled again into another swampy area.
Rivas was then attacked by an alligator and suffered injuries to both arms, according to state police and sheriff’s officials. He continued fleeing despite his injuries.
A sheriff’s office drone team later located Rivas, and drone operators directed deputies to his location as he was exiting the swamp. He was taken into custody and transported to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
After his release from the hospital, Rivas was taken to the Nelson Coleman Correctional Center and booked on charges of operating a vehicle while impaired and resisting an officer. State police said additional warrants were obtained for hit and run and careless operation in connection with the earlier crash in Jefferson Parish.
The St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office, which issued a tongue-in-cheek account of the arrest, said the alligator “was not injured and has since returned to its regular patrol of the swamp.” The office also released an edited image showing an alligator in a deputy’s uniform receiving a “Deputy of the Year” award.
“Don’t drive impaired, don’t run from deputies, and definitely don’t hide in Louisiana swamps,” the sheriff’s office said. “Wildlife may just be cooperating with law enforcement.”
The post Louisiana man attacked by alligator after fleeing traffic stop appeared first on BNO News.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
