Civilians catch alligator near McDonald’s before officials arrive in Macon

Civilians trapped an alligator outside of a McDonald’s Sunday in Macon before public safety workers arrived to help further, according to several Facebook posts.

The gator, which was found at 1450 Rocky Creek Road in Macon’s Bloomfield area, slowly roamed the parking lot before a few men taped the critter’s snout shut, covered it with clothes and tied it with string, according to a photo by Nick Farley and video by Tee Smith on Facebook.

“Only in Macon do we unite to catch an Alligator and then do a photoshoot onsite!” Farley said with laughing emojis. “Man I LOVE this city! #ThisIsWild.”

A crowd of people surrounded the gator, the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office said.

Rocky Creek, a narrow waterway between tree brush, runs through and near the shopping plaza.

People were seen posing for photos with the taped up gator before officials arrived.

Someone at the scene called 911 at 4:38 p.m. regarding the gator spotted, Sgt. Christopher Williams said.

“The alligator posed no threat” and no humans were injured during the incident, Williams said.

Deputies, a crew from the Macon-Bibb County Fire Department and an animal trapper with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources responded to the scene.

The parking lot was surrounded by crime scene tape as public safety workers held onto a long rope attached to the alligator’s neck.

Farley and Smith did not immediately respond to messages from The Telegraph.

Is the gator OK?

It was unclear Monday where the gator was taken or if it was harmed, according to Melissa Cummings, communications and outreach specialist for the GDNR Wildlife Resources Division.

A private “agent alligator trapper authorized by the GDNR” removed the gator from the area, Cummings said.

“At this time, we don’t have any information on the release,” she said.

The GDNR’s Law Enforcement Division was investigating the incident Monday afternoon, Cummings said.

The sheriff’s office did not provide further details and the fire department did not immediately respond to The Telegraph’s request for comment.