• Kameel Stanley, Times Staff Writer

KAMEEL STANLEYTampa Bay Times

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Bryan Zuniga took great pains to get away from a Pinellas deputy who tried to pull him over early Thursday morning.

Instead, he ended up in great pain.

After Zuniga stopped his 1995 Nissan SUV in the 7100 block of 78th Avenue, he jumped out and started running away, according to the Piellas County Sheriff’s Office.

A fence was no match for the 20-year-old. An alligator, however, was.

Authorities said Zuniga’s escape attempt was thwarted when he encountered one of the reptiles behind a water treatment plant near St. Petersburg.

The gator, Zuniga later told deputies from a hospital room, bit his face and arm.

“He just said he was attacked by the alligator,” said sheriff’s spokeswoman Cristen Rensel. “It’s still unclear how he got (to the hospital).”

Rensel said the incident began at about 2:47 a.m. Thursday when a deputy spotted Zuniga, who lives in Pinellas Park, weaving in his lane. The deputy put on his lights and signaled the SUV to pull over. 

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