A Garland Animal Control officer captured a 15-foot reticulated python that trapped a man on top of his truck and was later found inside the vehicle’s engine, city officials said.
The snake, which made “multiple strike attempts” during the capture, was safely impounded without incident.
The incident began Saturday around 11 p.m. when Officer Alejandro Jaramillo responded to a call about a snake in a South Garland neighborhood near Apache and Broadway.
“They just told me that it was gonna be a snake. I did not know that when I would arrive, it would be a 15-foot python,” Jaramillo said, per NBC 5 DFW.
The python, a yellow, 85-pound snake, was circling a yard and had trapped a resident on his truck, drawing a “tense crowd” of onlookers, according to a city social media post. Jaramillo’s standard snake prongs proved ineffective.
“Normally, we use these to grab the head of the snake so you can control it. Obviously, its head was too big to be controlled by this, and it was too strong,” he said, NBC 5 reported.
Using a net and a catch pole, Jaramillo pursued the snake, which attempted to lunge at him.
“It turned around when I pulled its tail and tried to lunge at me,” he recalled. “From there, it slithered underneath his truck and then went up into his engine bay to where I had to attempt to pull it out or lure it out.”
After more than two hours, Jaramillo safely removed the python from the vehicle’s engine. Neighbor Nick Garza witnessed the ordeal.
“It was crazy,” Garza told NBC 5. “It was huge … it was like a snake you see at the zoo, you know?”
Experts determined the snake was likely a pet due to its size and distinctive banana-colored pattern.
“A 15-foot python doesn’t happen naturally. It has to have been fed in good condition and stuff like that. So that’s how we kind of knew,” said Alberto Maldonado, community outreach coordinator for the Garland Animal Shelter. “And on top of that, it was banana colored. So, that is another indication that a lot of people have like a pet (snake).”
By Tuesday morning, the snake’s owner came forward, explaining the python escaped during a move.
“The owner of the python was actually moving addresses. He’s moving out of the city limits. And in the meantime, he decided to put up the snake enclosure and put the python in a temporary case for it to be living for a little while,” Maldonado told NBC 5.
The snake traveled roughly 400 yards after escaping.
The owner will not face citations, as the incident was deemed an accident.
“Just like how we don’t get you in trouble for your dog running out at large, it’s the same thing. It’s a pet. It was an isolated incident,” Maldonado said.
The owner provided documentation and will pay a standard impound fee to reclaim the snake.
Within six hours of the capture, multiple people volunteered to foster the python.
“It’s being taken care of,” Maldonado said. “In the city of Garland, regardless of the size of the animal or the shape or what kind of animal it is, we’re always going to be there to provide our services for them.”
The city praised the officer’s efforts.
“Bravery, compassion, and public safety — that’s what our Animal Control Officers bring every day,” the city’s post read. “No matter the call, we show up. Because our duty never ends.”