A man claims he caught an alligator Saturday night in the Humboldt Park Lagoon, where the now-famed "Chance the Snapper" was captured earlier this month, though Chicago police remain suspicious after conflicting statements were given at the scene.
A video that went live on Facebook Saturday shows a man holding a 3-foot-long gator with its mouth taped shut near the Boathouse Cafe in Humboldt Park.
The video includes the man telling people he hooked the gator as he was out fishing.
According to a statement issued by Chicago Police Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi, officials received a report about the alleged discovery around 9:30 p.m.
When police arrived, they found the man holding the alligator and talking about it live on Facebook. He and a second person at the scene "gave conflicting statements" about the incident, police said.
According to officials, one of the men said he had previously been in contact on social media with Frank Robb, the Florida-based crocodile hunter who captured "Chance the Snapper" on July 16, during the initial alligator incident and after. Comments were made by one of the men "indicating he and his brother almost had caught the first alligator," Guglielmi said.
"Based on the inconsistencies and information provided by Frank Robb, the subjects were taken into custody on scene and transported to the 014th District for investigation," Guglielmi said in the statement.
Guglielmi said Robb told police that "in his professional opinion the animal was juvenile and could not have been in the lagoon for any period of time. Robb further stated that his investigation on scene revealed only one alligator in the lagoon which was the one captured prior to this incident."
Carlos Jimenez Flores, who is credited with taking the Facebook Live videos, told NBC 5 he grew skeptical and thought it was strange when the gator already had tape on its mouth. He also noted that he thought it was strange that neither the gator or the man who claimed to have found it were wet.
The men were released from police custody, and the incident remains under investigation.
The second alligator, being dubbed "Chance the Snapper 2.0" was later taken to Chicago Animal Care and Control.
