A suspected drunken driver in Louisiana took "swamp thing" to a whole new level when he leaped off an interstate into gator-infested waters, only to get his arms munched by a hungry alligator before cops finally hauled him in with a drone.
Victor M. Rivas, 40, of Montz, was behind the wheel of a Toyota Supra that was reportedly careening recklessly down Interstate 10 near Bonnabel Boulevard in Jefferson Parish on Sunday, June 7, according to Louisiana State Police. The boozed-up driver allegedly smacked a concrete barrier, blew out a tire, and kept on rolling.
Troopers from LSP Troop B caught up with the damaged sports car heading south on Interstate 310 in neighboring St. Charles Parish. When they pulled Rivas over and started a DWI investigation, he showed clear signs of impairment, but instead of blowing into a Breathalyzer, he bolted on foot.
In a move straight out of a bad horror flick, Rivas jumped from the elevated highway straight into the swampy muck below. Deputies from the St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office joined the hunt. They later spotted him strolling along U.S. Highway 61 (Airline Highway), but the slippery suspect wasn't done yet.
He dashed back into another swampy area, and that's when Mother Nature decided to play cop.
Bodycam footage released by authorities shows Rivas wading through the water with an alligator hot on his trail. The gator "tried to convince" him to surrender, officials quipped, but Rivas wasn't listening. The reptile chomped down on both of his arms, leaving him with nasty, but non-life-threatening injuries.
Undeterred by the free "tattoo" session, Rivas kept fleeing through the swamp. But the jig was up thanks to modern tech: A sheriff's drone team spotted him trying to slither out, guided deputies right to him, and he was finally collared.
Rivas was rushed to a hospital for treatment before being booked into the Nelson Coleman Correctional Center. He's facing charges including DWI (second offense), resisting an officer, plus hit-and-run and careless operation from the earlier Jefferson Parish crash.
The alligator, authorities noted with classic Louisiana flair, "was not injured and has since returned to its regular patrol of the swamp."No word on whether Rivas plans to sue the gator, but in the Bayou State, this one's already a legend.
