A man wanted on suspicion of reckless driving was fleeing police when he was attacked by an alligator, but he continued to flee before finally being arrested, Louisiana authorities said.

Victor Rivas, 40, suffered injuries to his arms and was treated at a hospital before being booked into jail on charges of driving under the influence, resisting arrest and being a fugitive from Jefferson Parish.

He also had outstanding arrest warrants for charges of hit-and-run and careless driving issued by authorities in Jefferson Parish, where the chase began, state police said in a statement.

Rivas, a resident of Montz, a community in St. Charles, is being held at the Nelson Coleman Correctional Center in Killona, ​​according to prison records. His bond was set at $17,500.

The chase began Sunday when state police received reports of a car being driven recklessly on Interstate 10 in Jefferson Parish, west of New Orleans, state police said.

The vehicle, described as a Toyota Supra, crashed into a concrete barrier and suffered a tire blowout, according to state police.

Officers found the Supra driving in St. Charles, also part of the New Orleans metropolitan area, where they stopped it.

The driver, identified as Rivas, showed signs of being under the influence of alcohol or drugs, according to state police, and fled while officers were checking him for possible arrest for drunk driving.

Rivas jumped from an elevated stretch of Interstate 310 and landed in a swampy area, according to state police.

He was later found walking on Highway 61, according to state police, but fled again into a swampy area. This time, he was attacked by an alligator, they reported.

He continued to flee despite his injured arms and was eventually located and detained with the help of drones, state police reported.

The agency noted that this event leaves an important lesson: “Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs can have serious and unpredictable consequences.”