Florida man loses arm after gator attack behind bar

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — A man in Florida lost his arm after being attacked by an alligator behind a bar, according to wildlife authorities.

The 23-year-old man was attacked early Sunday behind a bar in Port Charlotte, Florida, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The man had been a patron at Banditos Bar, which is located next to a pond. Another bar patron, Manny Hidalgo, told The Daily Sun that he heard the man screaming from the pond area and went outside looking for him in the early morning darkness.

“He was yelling and swimming toward the shoreline,” Hidalgo said. “I ran and dragged him up onto the sand. I was scared to get close to the water because it was dark out.”

The man was taken by helicopter to Gulf Coast Hospital in Fort Myers, where his arm was amputated, said Todd Dunn, a spokesman for Charlotte County Fire and EMS.

A nuisance alligator trapper removed the 10.5-foot (3.2 meters) alligator from the property, according to wildlife officials.