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08th Dec 2015

Suspected burglar killed by alligator as he hid from police

JOE

A  suspected burglar has been killed by an 11ft alligator, authorities in America have said.

22-year-old Matthew Riggins had told his girlfriend that he would be in Florida’s Barefoot Bay on November 13 to carry out a series of break-ins with an accomplice.

Later on, Riggins is said to have called his girlfriend and told her that he was attempting to hide from police. He was reported missing the following day.

On November 23, Riggins’ body was found floating in a a pond. His body showed evidence of an alligator attack.

Fatal Alligator Attacks Set New Record In Florida

Brevard County Sheriff’s Major, Tod Goodyear, told Bay News 9 that the man probably entered the pond in a bid to hide from the police officers and police dog that were pursuing him.

“He probably went into the lake to hide from the officers and the dog, and came across that ‘gator.

“To hide somewhere to try and get away, and then meeting up with an animal like that, no, I’ve never had that happen before.”

The authorities claimed that Riggins had drowned but that his hand and foot had been found inside an alligator which had been trapped and killed at the scene.