Ga. man jumps into alligator-infested pond to escape arrest

CHATHAM COUNTY, Ga. — When running from police, there probably isn’t very much time to check for dangerous wildlife, but it would probably be a helpful thing to do.

Police in Chatham County, Ga. were hot on the tails of catching 29-year-old Billy Sloan after he went on a crime spree, so to get away, Sloan jumped into a pond. He didn’t realize until after jumping in that the pond had alligators in it.

Instead of getting out of the water, Sloan then began an hour-long standoff with police from the middle of the pond before he was ultimately arrested.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Police say earlier that morning, they found Sloan at a gas station in a stolen car. As an officer approached him, he sped off. A few moments later, another officer saw the car and began following Sloan.

They say Sloan ditched the stolen car and began running towards homes in the Al Henderson Golf Course community. Sloan then entered five of the homes while the residents were inside.

Later, the officers spotted Sloan as he was running towards and then into the pond at the golf course. Officers quickly realized there were two alligators in the pond with Sloan, one of which swam straight for him and began circling him.

TRENDING STORIES:

• Ga. man caught with nearly 50 pounds of marijuana tries to flush it down the toilet, police say
• 2 dead inside north Ga. motel room after police shoot suspect, GBI says
• Car carrying 9 people overturns, rolls down embankment on I-20 in DeKalb County

Officers were able to scare away the alligators by having their helicopter hover over the pond. After the alligators swam away, officers tossed Sloan a life jacket, but he refused to grab it.

After spending an hour in the water, officers and the department’s amphibious vehicle got into the water to bring Sloan to shore.

Sloan was taken to the hospital to be examined before being cleared and taken to the Chatham County Detention Center. He’s being charged with one count of theft by receiving stolen property, one count of burglary, four counts of criminal trespass, one count of drug possession and one count of obstruction by fleeing.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

No one was injured during the incident.

IN OTHER NEWS:

2 dead inside north Ga. motel room after police shoot suspect, GBI says The GBI says police shot and killed a man they say had just shot another man inside a motel room.

©2022 Cox Media Group