A man wanted for driving recklessly was attacked by an alligator but continued running from police before finally being arrested, Louisiana authorities said Monday.
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Victor Rivas, 40, suffered injuries to his arms in the attack and was treated at a hospital before he was booked into jail on allegations of driving while intoxicated, resisting arrest and being a fugitive from adjacent Jefferson Parish, Louisiana State Police said.
He had also drawn warrants for allegations of hit and run and careless driving from authorities in Jefferson Parish, where the chase began, state police said in a statement Monday.
Rivas, of Montz, a community in St. Charles Parish, was being held in the Nelson Coleman Correctional Center in Killona, according to jail records. His bond was listed as $17,500.
It’s not clear if has retained legal counsel. The public defender for St. Charles Parish did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
The wild pursuit unfolded Sunday when Louisiana State Police received reports about a car driven recklessly on Interstate 10 in Jefferson Parish, which is just west of New Orleans, state police said.
The vehicle, described as a Toyota Supra, struck a concrete barrier and suffered a blowout, state police said.
Troopers said they found the Supra being driven in adjacent St. Charles Parish, also a part of the New Orleans metropolitan area, where they pulled it over. The driver, identified as Rivas, showed signs of impairment, state police alleged, and fled as troopers checked him out for a potential DWI arrest.
Rivas jumped from an elevated portion of Interstate 310 and landed in swampland below, state police said.
He was later found walking along Highway 61, state police said, but fled again into a swampy area. This time, he was attacked by an alligator, it said.
He continued to flee despite his injured arms and was finally found and taken into custody with the help of “drone technology,” state police said.
The agency said the saga points to a lesson: “Impaired driving can lead to serious and unpredictable consequences.”
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