Brave Florida Cop Wrestles With 10ft-Long Angry Alligator

These images show a brave Florida police officer wrestling with a very angry alligator measuring nearly 10 feet long.

The incident took place on a street in Tampa, in the US state of Florida, on Wednesday, 29th March.

The footage shows the police officer going toe to tail with the alligator in the middle of the road as his colleagues watch on.

At one point, he requests a rope from another officer, which he manages to tie around the reptile's snout.

He then jokingly asks one of his colleagues if he wants to "jump on him" before proceeding to grab the alligator by its tail.

The bold officer then discusses a plan to subdue the reptile, saying that he will sit on top of it himself.

The images then show him jumping on its back and pinning its head down.

The alligator can be heard growling angrily at being manhandled, but the officer manages to shut its mouth with the help of the rope.

He then requests some sticky tape from his colleagues, adding that he needs to put something over its eyes so that it will "chill out".

The officers then proceed to put a towel over the alligator's head in a bid to calm it down.

They can then be seen taping its mouth shut with duct tape.

The officer sitting on top of the alligator then instructs one of his colleagues to tape the angry reptile's hind legs, just as if he were handcuffing a suspect.

The officer then attempts to remove the rope from around the alligator's head, but it is jammed inside its jaw, so they decide to cut it instead.

The officers then put a little bit more tape around the alligator's mouth before putting a single piece over its eyes.

As if it can sense what is next, the alligator can be heard hissing loudly as a man opens a pickup truck boot in which to place the animal as the footage ends.

Newsflash obtained a statement from Tampa Police Department on Wednesday, 29th March, saying: "Early this morning, Tampa Police Department officers wrangled up a gator who was roaming the streets near W. Kathleen St and N. Howard Ave.

"No alligators (or officers) were injured in this 'jaw-dropping' video. The growling gator was taken for a ride by our partners from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to find a more suitable home."