Deputy Wrangles Seven-Foot Gator on Tampa Highway

0:00It's April 30th. You're listening to Tampa Bay News today, AI-powered local news. I'm Corey with the story. A deputy in Tampa had to play alligator wrangler on Tuesday when a seven-foot beast strolled onto North Thail-Mabry Highway, shutting down traffic on, that busy stretch. Body camera footage caught the action as the deputy calmly steered the gator towards some bushes and dirt off the road, buying time until a pro-trapper could roll up. The Hillsboro County Sheriff's Office dropped a funny post on Facebook, joking that when your suspect packed seven feet and 80-raiser sharp, teeth, you definitely call for backup. No one got hurt, and folks driving by must have had their jaws on the floor, watching this wild roadside standoff. In the end, the trapper teamed up with the deputy to secure the gator safe and sound, clearing the highway just like that.