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Rattlesnake selfie attempt lands man in hospital

By Ben Hooper
Alex Gomez was bitten by the rattlesnake shortly after posing for this and other photos with the serpent. KTLA-TV video screenshot
Alex Gomez was bitten by the rattlesnake shortly after posing for this and other photos with the serpent. KTLA-TV video screenshot

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LAKE ELSINORE, Calif., Aug. 28 (UPI) -- A California man has been released from the hospital after an impromptu photo shoot with a rattlesnake ended with a predictable disaster.

Alex Gomez of Lake Elsinore was hospitalized Monday after he picked up a rattlesnake discovered in his back yard and took photos with the snake hanging around his neck.

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The photo shoot came to a premature end when the snake bit Gomez on the hand.

"I'm shocked that he would have that things around his neck," Gomez's mother, Deborah, told CBS Los Angeles. "It could've bit his neck, and that would have been it. That's just being a fool."

Deborah, who shared her son's snake selfies with KTLA-TV, said she wanted her son to be embarrassed of his actions.

"I told him the news people had been calling, and he said 'Mom, you better not,' and I said 'I'm going to.' I'm going to teach him a real good lesson when he gets home. No mercy for him," she said.

Gomez was released from the hospital Thursday, but doctors said they will continue to monitor the venom in his system to ensure his hand injury doesn't worsen.

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