Wily Los Angeles gator defies capture

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 24 (UPI) -- Officials are on a 24-hour vigil for an 8-foot alligator holed up in a lake south of Los Angeles for two weeks, defying capture by Florida specialists.

Some residents have dubbed the reptile "Carlitos" at the 53-acre Machado Lake in Harbor City. Others are ignoring officials' pleas, and throwing tortillas into the water.

City park rangers and dog catchers were joined in the hunt Tuesday by four alligator handlers from Gatorland, in Orlando, Fla. The team leader, Tim Williams, told the Los Angeles Daily News not many things were going right.

"There's been high winds. A full moon. Furthermore, he's scared," Williams said. "All we need now is the Shriner band to march through and make a ruckus."

There was no indication where the 150-pound alligator came from, but once caught, it will be housed at the Los Angeles Zoo for a 90-day quarantine while officials decide where to put it.