Police body cam video shows moment alligator attacked impaired driving suspect fleeing officers

An alligator helped police in Louisiana bust a fleeing and impaired driving suspect who was hiding in a swamp.

Police body cam video appears to show an impaired driving suspect being attacked by an alligator in a swamp in Louisiana.

A police officer is seen pointing a gun in the direction of the attack as shown in a video posted by WWL-TV, a news outlet in Louisiana, on Monday.

Louisiana State Police said in a social media post that its troopers responded to reports of a Toyota Supra “being driven recklessly" on the Interstate 10 highway in Jefferson Parish near New Orleans on Sunday. The car also hit a concrete barrier and suffered a tire blowout, police stated.

Authorities said they later conducted a traffic stop on Interstate 310 in St. Charles Parish, La. They identified the suspect as Victor Rivas, 40, of Montz, La., and “observed signs of impairment.”

They said the suspect fled on foot and jumped from Interstate 310 into the swamp. When they spotted Rivas walking along U.S. Highway 61, they recounted, he escaped into a swampy area and both of his arms were injured after an alligator attacked him.

The injured suspect continued fleeing but was later caught with the help of drone technology, according to police.

After he was treated at a hospital, police said the man was later charged with driving while impaired and resisting an officer. He also faces hit-and-run and careless operation charges following the earlier car crash.

With files from WWL Louisiana’s Alexis Ware