Alligator attacks drone during Florida sheriff’s office training class

FORT MYERS, Fla. — An alligator decided to take a bite out of crime last week, attacking a marine drone used by a southwest Florida sheriff’s office during a training exercise.

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According to a video posted by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, the department’s encounter with the reptile occurred at about 12:09 p.m. EDT on Friday in Fort Myers.

“While the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit was training in Fort Myers, this insta-gator latched on to the underwater drone!” the sheriff’s office wrote in a Facebook post.

The alligator swims up to the underwater camera and splashes around before lunging and snapping at it, WFLA-TV reported.

The drone recorded the incident, which shows the chin and white underbelly of the alligator as it investigates the camera, the Miami Herald reported. Video recorded by the sheriff’s office shows the alligator appearing to play with the device, dragging it around while splashing water on it.

The video has been viewed nearly 10,000 times and has received hundreds of reactions and comments on social media, according to the newspaper.

It was unclear when the attack occurred in Fort Myers, the Fort Myers News-Press reported.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, alligators are “opportunistic feeders” and will eat animals and anything else that ventures into their path that can be overpowered, according to WFLA.

“See ya later Alligator!” the sheriff’s office wrote.