9-Foot Alligator Shocks Residents As Massive Reptile Tries To Enter Florida Apartment

A 9-foot-long alligator surprised residents of a Florida apartment as it tried to enter a home. A resident of College Pines Apartment complex in Cocoa was shocked to find the scaly intruder at the doorstep Monday.

According to reports, the gator was not ready to leave the premises as it fought, tugged and rolled over and over, until being finally tied down by trappers.

"I was standing at the door and [saw] a man looking at me, waving down and I looked, I saw an alligator, so I ran back in the house," resident Liz Marek told CBS-affiliated WKMG.

The gator was near a doorway but when Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) trappers arrived at the scene, the animal went deeper into the porch of the home.

Another resident Drew Masders said he ran up the stairs when he saw the alligator.

"He did his roll a few times and they tied him up, put him in the back of the truck and took off," Masders said. "I've seen them around a lot. You just don't want to mess with them," he said.

Wildlife officers said gators roaming from one body of water to another aren't uncommon.

"We haven't had much of a winter, so it's kind of already happening. They're already up and moving. If you see one in the wild, don't feed them or mess with them," Frank Rub with FWC said.

Anyone who sees an alligator outside its normal habitat should call local law enforcement or the FWC, officials advise.

An alligator of similar size was recently caught on camera as it violently resisted being captured. The animal was spotted underneath a resident's pickup truck in Florida. The video shows one of the trappers hooked the gator around the neck and pulled it out on to the lawn as the huge reptile thrashed violently, rolling around in the grass before giving up after getting exhausted.

According to reports, in 2016, the state wildlife agency received 12,772 complaints about alligator nuisance and removed 8,118 gators.

In another incident of an alligator lurking in the open, a 15-foot gator was captured on camera strolling on a golf course. The video was posted on Facebook by Pope Golf on Feb. 14.

Earlier this month, a Florida man was in complete shock to find an 8-foot-long alligator in his pool. Photos of the reptile were posted on Facebook by Boca Raton Police Services Department. Matt Fino was taking his dog for a routine morning walk when he discovered the alligator.