A man trying to retrieve frisbees from a lake near a disc golf course at a Florida park is believed to have been attacked and killed by an alligator on Tuesday, police said.
The Largo Police Department said it's investigating the death of an adult man, whose identity has not been released, believed to be looking for frisbees in Taylor Lake at John S. Taylor Park in Largo when he was attacked. The lake is next to a disc golf course that is part of the park.
There are signs posted in the lake saying "no swimming," according to police.
Wildlife officials searched for hours before capturing and euthanizing an alligator found near where the man was killed, according to NBC affiliate WFLA. A necropsy is being performed to determine if it was the alligator involved in the attack.
"The guy had gotten in the water retrieving some of the discs, golf discs, and the gator bit his arm off," bystander Robert Jokela told WFLA.
Another park regular, Vince Carter, told WFLA he was familiar with the victim, whom he said would frequently go into the water to retrieve discs to sell back to the disc golfers who play the course.
"He was just a homeless guy who tries to get by," Carter said. "A lot of people liked him in the community, some didn't, but he was a friendly guy who would always get our discs back for us."
The victim is the latest man attacked by an alligator while trying to retrieve a frisbee from the lake at Taylor Park.
Travis Spitzer, 40, survived being bitten in the face by an alligator in 2020 while retrieving a disc in waist-deep water, according to WFLA. Players told the station that people would often go in the water to retrieve the $18 discs and sell them back to local shops for $3 each.