Alligator heads toward runway in S. Fla.

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PUNTA GORDA, Fla., Jan. 12 (UPI) -- A deputy armed with tape was able to capture a 7-foot alligator that had threatened to wander onto the runway of a South Florida airport, police said.

The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office said the agriculture deputy responded to a call of a gator at the Punta Gorda Airport on New Year's Eve, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported. When he arrived, the gator was about 30 feet from the main runway and heading into the path of a commercial jet scheduled for imminent arrival.

The agency released pictures of the incident Friday.

The deputy, a state Fish and Wildlife Commission agent and an airport security guard herded the alligator away from the runway. The deputy then got behind the gator and quickly taped its mouth closed, allowing its capture.

The alligator was relocated to an area far away from the airport.