Gator spotted, captured near Kendall homes

By CBS Miami Team

Updated on: February 21, 2023 / 11:36 PM / CBS Miami

MIAMI - A gator was spotted on the roadway and was later captured near homes in Southwest Miami-Dade on Tuesday afternoon.

It happened near SW 136 Street and 97th Avenue.

Images from Chopper 4 showed the reptile flanked by two Miami-Dade police cruisers.

A Miami-Dade County police officer used a polyester utility rope to lasso the alligator.

When asked if he thought stepping in front of the gator was a bad idea, officer Manuel Orol said, "absolutely."

The officer was able to secure the other end of the rope to the front of his vehicle.

The gator was about six-and-a-half feet long that weighed more than 200 pounds.

Orol, a three-year patrol veteran, saw the animal stop in a field that lies in an area where children ride bicycles. The officer often sees small pets roam there too.

"The gator was looking at a brown cat that was right there," Orol said. "That's someone's pet. That's someone's animal."

So, he and two other officers in cruisers surrounded the reptile. At first, Orol stepped out and shrugged. Moments later, he reached in his truck and grabbed a polyester tow rope used to pull officers to safety.

Orol then made a loop and tried tossing it around the alligator's neck five times.

"I was like I hope he gets it because the gator was like far but then it started to walk in my direction where I live," Slane Roncheto, a neighbor, said.

Finally, Orol succeeded. As the animal thrashed around, the officer and neighbors wondered how long the lasso would hold.

"I just made a split-second decision," Orol said. "I (had) to hold this gator. I (had) to contain it."

At around 6 p.m., an agent from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission showed up and he and a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue firefighter were able to tape the gator's mouth and legs.

Shortly thereafter, the reptile was placed in the back of an FWC pick-up truck.

It is not clear what will become of the gator.

Police say they received a call of a gator in the roadway and by the time units arrived, the gator was making its way back to the water.

The gator had been about 30 to 50 feet away from a home and the roadway when officers spotted it.

On Monday, an 85-year-old woman died after being attacked by a gator while she was walking her dog near Fort Pierce.

On Tuesday, CBS4's anchor Najahe Sherman turned to wildlife expert Ron Magill to learn important information to keep yourself safe if you ever encounter an alligator.

"People need to understand there are more than one million alligators in the state. You must assume there could be an alligator in any freshwater body of water in the state," Magill said.

Magill says while alligator attacks are extremely rare when they do happen, it's usually attributed to a few reasons.

"The animal is acting on instinct. You should never walk around a body of water at dusk or dawn or especially at night. Alligators are ambush predators, they wait for their prey to come right along the coastline and get their prey," adds Magill.

"It's compounded if you are walking a small pet because these alligators don't know the difference between a Schnauzer and a raccoon."

What if an alligator attacks your dog? Magill offers this advice.

"This is a lot easier said than done. I know I have pets. Pets become like our children. But if a large alligator comes out and gets your pet, as hard as it is for me to say, you got to let it go. Generally speaking, if a large alligator gets your pet, it can get you also."

The CBS Miami team is a group of experienced journalists who bring you the content on CBSMiami.com.

First published on February 21, 2023 / 5:37 PM

MIAMI