True Crime
Louisiana Man Jumps Into Swamp to Escape Police, Gets Attacked by Alligator Instead
A Louisiana man who allegedly tried to evade police by fleeing into a swamp quickly discovered that law enforcement wasn’t his only problem when an alligator attacked him during the chase.
According to a press release from St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office shared via Facebook on Monday, June 8, officers “responded to reports of a Toyota vehicle being driven recklessly” in Jefferson Parish. Separate reports came in claiming that the car had “struck a concrete barrier and sustained a tire blowout.”
Police pulled the vehicle over to conduct a traffic stop and when speaking to the driver, Victor Rivas, they noticed “signs of impairment.” However, before they could place Rivas, 40, under arrest, he fled the scene on foot and hurled himself from an elevated portion of the interstate and into a swamp below.
The St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office was called in to assist with his capture — and they succeeded, albeit, briefly. Rivas escaped once again, jumping into another portion of the swamp and that’s “when an alligator joined the law enforcement team and tried to convince Rivas that surrendering was the better option.”
Rivas allegedly did not agree and was attacked by the animal, sustaining injuries to both of his arms.
The report stated that the St. Charles Parish’s drone team was then brought out to help locate Rivas once again, and deputies were finally able to apprehend him before transporting him to a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
After being released from the hospital, Rivas was booked into the Nelson Coleman Correctional Center and charged with operating a vehicle while impaired and resisting an officer.
“Reminder: Don’t drive impaired, don’t run from deputies, and definitely don’t hide in Louisiana swamps,” the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office concluded. “Wildlife may just be cooperating with law enforcement.”
It remains unclear if Rivas has entered a plea at the time of publication. Authorities did not immediately say whether Rivas had legal representation.
