Gator Attacks Naked Man On Crack
A 45-year-old man was hospitalized after four sheriff's deputies rescued him from the jaws of a nearly 12-foot alligator Wednesday, while he was naked and high on crack cocaine.
The Polk County deputies were responding to multiple calls about a man yelling for help at about 4 a.m. They could not shoot the animal because it was too dark and they might have hit the victim or one another, the sheriff's office said.
Adrian J. Apgar was taken to the hospital in critical condition with an apparent broken right arm, leg injuries and his left arm hanging by a tendon. Hospital officials did not immediately release information about his condition.
"It is an incredibly bacteria-filled environment that he was exposed to," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.
It was not clear why Apgar was in the lake. Judd said Apgar was naked and told deputies he had been smoking crack.
The deputies — Michael Parker, Billy Osborne, David Clements and Sgt. Andrew Williams — carried Apgar about 40 feet, up a steep incline and to an ambulance ashore. None of the four was injured in the gator-infested waters.
"I remember him saying, 'I'm over here, get here quick, he's still got me, he's going to kill me, my arms are broken,"' Parker said.
The deputies' boots sunk in mud with each step they took, and the water lapped chest-high on some. It took several efforts to get the 6-foot-1, 250-pound man out of the water even after the gator let loose because they were exhausted. They had to find the man by sound, through thick brush and cattails in the middle of the night.
A state wildlife official said investigators are unsure whether Apgar was on land or in the water when he was attacked. Apgar told officials he fell asleep on the beach before the alligator dragged him into the water. However, Judd said deputies aren't sure the man's account is accurate because of his drugged condition, reports the Orlando Sentinel.
At various points, one or two of the deputies were standing by, weapons pulled, on the lookout for other gators. Apgar told them he felt at least one more in the water.
"I was holding my shotgun. It's kind of hard to walk through that with a flashlight and a shotgun," Parker said.
Osborne said he pulled Apgar's arms while the gator gripped his lower half. The reptile loosened his jaws and Osborne thought he was free, but the animal lunged again.
The deputies said they were scared, but didn't have time to think.
"It was a human being, he was dying. He needed help," Osborne said. "I knew my partners were behind me. They were watching; I wasn't too afraid another gator was going to get me."
The alligator believed to have bitten the man was caught at about 1 p.m., roughly seven hours after Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission trappers set out bait. Though there's no way to be certain it's the right one, the animal caught was aggressive and found near the attack site.
"I said, 'Well how big did you think the alligator was?' (The deputies) said 'about the size of a school bus,"' Judd said.
It took 15-20 minutes to pull Apgar to shore from the moment they arrived on scene, the deputies estimated.
© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The Polk County deputies were responding to multiple calls about a man yelling for help at about 4 a.m. They could not shoot the animal because it was too dark and they might have hit the victim or one another, the sheriff's office said.
Adrian J. Apgar was taken to the hospital in critical condition with an apparent broken right arm, leg injuries and his left arm hanging by a tendon. Hospital officials did not immediately release information about his condition.
"It is an incredibly bacteria-filled environment that he was exposed to," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.
It was not clear why Apgar was in the lake. Judd said Apgar was naked and told deputies he had been smoking crack.
The deputies — Michael Parker, Billy Osborne, David Clements and Sgt. Andrew Williams — carried Apgar about 40 feet, up a steep incline and to an ambulance ashore. None of the four was injured in the gator-infested waters.
"I remember him saying, 'I'm over here, get here quick, he's still got me, he's going to kill me, my arms are broken,"' Parker said.
The deputies' boots sunk in mud with each step they took, and the water lapped chest-high on some. It took several efforts to get the 6-foot-1, 250-pound man out of the water even after the gator let loose because they were exhausted. They had to find the man by sound, through thick brush and cattails in the middle of the night.
A state wildlife official said investigators are unsure whether Apgar was on land or in the water when he was attacked. Apgar told officials he fell asleep on the beach before the alligator dragged him into the water. However, Judd said deputies aren't sure the man's account is accurate because of his drugged condition, reports the Orlando Sentinel.
At various points, one or two of the deputies were standing by, weapons pulled, on the lookout for other gators. Apgar told them he felt at least one more in the water.
"I was holding my shotgun. It's kind of hard to walk through that with a flashlight and a shotgun," Parker said.
Osborne said he pulled Apgar's arms while the gator gripped his lower half. The reptile loosened his jaws and Osborne thought he was free, but the animal lunged again.
The deputies said they were scared, but didn't have time to think.
"It was a human being, he was dying. He needed help," Osborne said. "I knew my partners were behind me. They were watching; I wasn't too afraid another gator was going to get me."
The alligator believed to have bitten the man was caught at about 1 p.m., roughly seven hours after Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission trappers set out bait. Though there's no way to be certain it's the right one, the animal caught was aggressive and found near the attack site.
"I said, 'Well how big did you think the alligator was?' (The deputies) said 'about the size of a school bus,"' Judd said.
It took 15-20 minutes to pull Apgar to shore from the moment they arrived on scene, the deputies estimated.
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Guess drug users should consider where they lay down to nap next time. Maybe the shore of gator infested waters is not a good choice.
Shame the gator paid for some drug user's lack of judgement.
When I was a boy gators were not allowed to get this large and live near people. Of course this gator is doing what comes natural to him. Do you think that a 12 foot 500 lb gator is scared of a full grown man?
I don't know what part of FL you grew up in, but I was born and raised in FL also. Gators that big and bigger were in lakes around everywhere. They were not plentiful until they were put on the endangered list and had a chance to rebound, but they were there. Now there needs to be, if there isn't already, a hunting season for gators to thin them to a manageable level. However, the explosive growth of housing and business building going on in that state is the primary cause of human/gator conflict. That is what really needs to be controlled. You can hardly find unpaved land from Gainesville to below Haines City going down US27 or clear to below Sarasota down the west coast. The East coast is totally covered. Little that was beautiful about FL is still there.
Contradictions!!!! People can't have it both ways! That is why we have been systematically destroying the planet since we first arrived- we want it all without thought of the impact of our greed.
You say that your "in-laws live in Port St. Lucie & there is a ton of new development going on there which is disturbing the natural habitat of this [sic] creatures". You then go on to say "However there is an overwhelming amount of gators.." You missed it! There is an overwhelming amount of PEOPLE with their "new development" which is "disturbing the natural habitat" of the animals who WERE THERE FIRST!!! Why do the animals need to be hunted so that people can speed down the highway without the inconvenience of hitting a deer, racoon, or squirrel??? What about the inconvenience to the lives of the animals? If anyone paid an ounce of attention in middle school science class, or sunday school bible class, they'd remember that animals came first. We are the invaders & need to respect the fact that WE ARE IN THEIR HOMES! You'd expect your guests to respect your home- show the same courteousy to the animals.
We are of the earth, but the garbage pit we have turned it into will be to where we return. "Ashes to garbage, dust to toxic waste" should be the new saying.
Gotta get me some o' dat, go swimmin' with dem gators now.
That's the problem, find excuses for some idiot's demented behavior, justifies killing an innocent predatory animal.
Well, gee, he shouldn't have gone in the lake, and made himself a target for a meal, which I'm quite sure that "poor" alligator would have regurgitated anyway.