Florida man trying to flee police gets most of arm bitten off by alligator

A Florida man has paid the price for trying to hide from police—he lost part of his arm to an alligator.

The Herald-Tribune is reporting that Rena Kingsinger called the local authorities to report that her 21-year-old son Jessie was having a psychological "episode."

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According to WTVT, the mother attributed the behavior to PTSD.

Lakeland police began searching the nearby wooded area, and a helicopter located him around 10pm.

When responders reached him, they saw that Jessie was missing about 75 percent of his forearm plus his hand.

Sgt. Gary Gross has said that they likely arrived seconds after the incident occurred "because otherwise he would have bled out."

According to WESH, Jessie told investigators that he had swum through the adjacent lake in an effort to flee even though a sign clearly warns that "Alligators frequent this area!"

No charges are expected to be filed against him, though he has been detained under the Baker Act for possible mental health issues.