Every day across the country, there are any number of traffic stops that sit outside of the bounds of normalcy. Very few end up being quite as Hollywood-ready as the one experienced by state troopers from Louisiana State Police Troop B on June 7, however. What should have been a relatively routine stop involving a potentially intoxicated driver became a swamp-laden pursuit that Mother Nature simply couldn’t abide. Police did manage to apprehend 40-year-old Victor Rivas, but not before an alligator decided to give it their best shot.
According to NBC News, the saga began when the Louisiana State Police responded to a report of a Toyota Supra driving recklessly along Interstate 10 in Jefferson Parish. Callers reported that the vehicle had struck a concrete barrier and popped a tire as a result, but remained on the move. Authorities say a trooper spotted the vehicle traveling southbound on Interstate 310 in nearby St. Charles Parish, at which point they initiated a stop with a suspect that police identified as 40-year-old Victor Rivas. Rivas reportedly showed signs of impairment during the stop, leading the trooper to begin a DWI investigation.
View Price on AmazonThis is the end of the normal order of events. According to authorities, Rivas fled the scene on foot during the aforementioned DWI investigation, leaping from the elevated section of causeway into the swamp below. Officers, understandably, did not follow. The suspect was later reportedly spotted walking along Airline Highway however, at which point officers attempted to take him into custody; authorities say Rivas once more launched into the swamp, but his efforts were not as successful this time around. Because it was at this point an alligator began to attack Rivas, injuring both of his arms.
Police say he continued to flee, however, before being located by the department’s drones and apprehended, then transported to a local hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Rivas was later transported to the Nelson Coleman Correctional Center, where he was booked on charges of operating a vehicle while impaired and resisting an officer.
Source: roadandtrack.com
