CORAL GABLES, Fla. – A nearly 13-foot long crocodile died after it was captured in Coral Gables early Friday morning, as authorities searched for a crocodile that attacked a man and woman in a canal Sunday morning.
A representative for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission confirmed to Local 10 News a male crocodile, that residents named Pancho, was captured in a trap before daybreak Friday. He said it became distressed and weak during trapping, and died after it was taken to a temporary facility.
The word spread fast through the Gables by the Sea neighborhood. Some of the waterfront homeowners have been on edge since the attack.
"I think it makes things a lot safer," said one resident. "I mean, we don't swim in the canal, but we have a lot paddle boarders and kayakers and what if they fell in."
Police said Alejandro Jimenez, 26, and Lisset Rendon, 23, ignored the warning signs posted and decided to take a dip in the canal after drinking with some friends around 2 a.m.
It is unclear whether the crocodile is the same one that is responsible for the attack in the 1300 block of Lugo Avenue.