Authorities charged two men for releasing an alligator in the lake of a Los Angeles public park. Numerous attempts to capture the alligator have failed since the animal was discovered by a fisherman in August in Lake Machado at a park in southern Los Angeles.
"The victim here is actually all of us. The neighborhood, the city, the children who want to play in this park. That's what we're trying to protect today by filing these charges," said Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo.
The city accuses the two men of causing a public nuisance by releasing the 1.5 meter (seven feet) reptile. Dubbed "Reggie" by local media, the alligator has proved a headache for city authorities who have brought in experts from Florida and elsewhere to try to capture the animal.
In a search of the suspects' homes, police said they found three small alligators, four piranhas, a rattlesnake, three desert tortoises, six tortoise eggs and 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) of marijuana.
In addition to the public nuisance charge, city authorities charged the two with a total of 20 misdemeanors, including unlawful possession of restricted animals and possession of marijuana.
The district attorney's office could not find grounds to file felony charges against the two suspects, local media reported.
