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A roughly six-foot alligator startled guests and police after appearing outside a Fairfax County motel shortly after midnight on Monday, June 16.
Officers responded to the Budget Host Alexandria on Richmond Highway after a caller reported seeing the reptile outside their room. Body-camera footage released on social media captured an officer confirming the unusual sighting.
“Damn, that is an alligator,” the officer said. “There is actually an alligator outside of the hotel.”
When dispatch asked about its size, the officer replied, “If I lay down next to it, it’s approximately six feet.”
The alligator’s owner was reportedly transporting the animal to a zoo in North Carolina. Because Virginia law prohibits possessing exotic animals, police escorted the owner and alligator out of Fairfax County. No injuries were reported.