Alligator circles man after he jumps into pond to escape officers, Georgia cops say
.jpeg "Authorities tried to scare away alligators in a pond after a man jumped in while trying to escape police, Georgia cops said.")
An alligator started to circle a 29-year-old man who tried to escape police by jumping into a pond where at least two of the animals were swimming, a Georgia police department said.
Officers began chasing a man who they say fled from police on July 1 in a stolen car, according to a statement from the Chatham County Police Department.
Officers later saw the same vehicle and tried to pursue it, but the man took off on foot toward a Savannah golf course community, the statement says.
The man is accused of going into five homes in the community while residents were inside. None of the residents were injured, according to police.
Officers requested the help of a K-9 unit and a helicopter to assist them in their search for the man.
They later saw him running into a pond on the golf course, the statement says. As he swam to the middle of the pond, officers saw two alligators, one of which swam toward the man and started circling him.
The helicopter that had been called to help with the search hovered over the pond to scare the alligators away from the man, according to police. When the alligators swam away, officials on the helicopter tossed a life jacket to him, but he did not grab it.
The Chatham County Police Department drove out to the man using an amphibious vehicle, but he continually declined to get out of the water.
After about an hour, officers jumped into the water to pull him onto the vehicle and drive him to shore, the statement says.
First responders brought him to a hospital for an evaluation before he was taken to the Chatham County Detention Center.
Savannah is about 166 miles southeast of Macon.
Police have charged the man with one count of theft by receiving a stolen car, one count of burglary, four counts of trespass, one count of drug possession and one count of obstruction by fleeing, the statement says.
No attorney was listed for the man.
This story was originally published July 6, 2022 at 3:23 PM with the headline "Alligator circles man after he jumps into pond to escape officers, Georgia cops say."