Authorities trapped a large alligator that found its way into a neighborhood in the County Walk neighborhood of southwest Miami-Dade early Monday.
Security officers noticed the gator in the backyard of a home in the 14000 block of Southwest 149 Terrace around 4 a.m.
Resident Laura Saoud says she was woken up after security guards came knocking to warn residents of the scaly intruder.
The Baltimore native says she didn't mind being inconvenienced and actually hoped her preteen son would get a chance to see the gator.
"I think it's cool, I like it," she says. "I mean, he's not doing anything. I'm just making sure my cat stays inside."Resident Abdallah Saoud says that waking up to police lights was a scary sight.
"I thought maybe there was a criminal in my back yard," he said. "It was pretty scary."
Security guards called Miami-Dade Police who then brought in an animal trapper. The trapper managed to lasso the creature before it was shot and killed.
The residential neighborhood is just steps away from a canal. The close encounter has residents saying they'll be more cautious in the future.
"It's just one of those things now, we'll be more cautious when we get out of the house, especially if it's early in the morning," Abdallah Saoud says.
Mating season for alligators occurs from mid-April through May, making sightings fairly common this time of year, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Story courtesy of our news partners at NBC6.com.
