County Sheriff's investigator James Lewing said the deputies were called to the scene in the early hours of Thursday after a motorist reported the 8-foot reptile in the road, the Waco (Texas) Tribune-Herald reported Friday.

Lewing said deputies attempted to coax the animal off the road but it "became vicious" and the emergency workers were given permission from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to kill the beast, the newspaper said.

"They tried to capture it a couple of times, and, unfortunately, they had to (kill) it," he said. The deputies shot the animal and called state transportation officials to remove the carcass."

Texas Department of Transportation spokesman Ken Roberts told the Tribune-Herald workers didn't require any special equipment to remove the body.

"Just a pickup and several good, strong Texans and a lot of lifting and tugging," he said.