Thief chased by police jumps into alligator-infested lake

A suspected thief was chased by police and jumped into an alligator-infested lake. He was found dead only next day with alligator teeth marks on his body.

Photo: Thief chased by police jumps into alligator-infested lake

It was not immediately clear how the man died, but a 9-foot-3-inch (2.82-meter) long alligator may have been responsible.

The reptile has been killed and is being stored in a cooler awaiting a coroner's examination for human hair or skin, said Brian Wood, owner of All American Gator Products, which is storing the gator for now. It will then be incinerated or buried, he said.

The man was allegedly burglarizing a vehicle in a resort parking lot Thursday and ran when police arrived, said Dexter Lehtinen, one of the Miccosukee tribe's police legal advisers. His name was not released.

The man's body was recovered Friday by tribal police divers from the lake at the Miccosukee Resort and Convention Center west of Miami . A sign there warns people: "Danger Live Alligators."

Another man was also arrested. The tribe, which is not obligated to follow Florida's open records laws, declined to release his name. Without a name, the Miami-Dade state attorney's office was unable to comment on whether the man has been charged.