A man was attacked by an alligator as he fled Pinellas County Sheriff's deputies early Thursday during a routine traffic stop, authorities said.
Bryan Zuniga, 20, was attacked near a water treatment plant after he fled the traffic stop at 2:47 a.m., authorities said.
He had been pulled over for failing to maintain a single lane, the sheriff's office said.
Pinellas County Sheriff's Deputy Wrestled Alligator, Tied It Up: Report
He stopped the car and jumped out of the passenger side door, and as he fled, he kicked a vinyl fence, made a hole and escaped, authorities said.
A few hours later, he was found at a local hospital and was being treated for puncture wounds to his face, arm, and armpit area, the sheriff's office said. He told authorities about the gator attack.
After he was arrested at the hospital at noon and was taken to the Pinellas County Jail. He faces charges including breaking and injuring fences, fleeing and eluding a police officer, driving while driver's suspended/revoked and resisting an officer without violence.
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It wasn't known why he fled, and whether he had an attorney.
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