Quick Punch to Gator Saves Boy

DELTONA, Fla. — An alligator dragged a 12-year-old swimmer underwater in a lake, but the boy punched the reptile and then swam safely to shore, authorities said Thursday.

Malcolm Locke, who was treated for cuts and scrapes, was bitten Wednesday while swimming in Lake Diana, near his grandmother’s house just north of Orlando.

He told officials he saw the alligator’s tail first. “It was coming right at me,” he said Thursday.

Malcolm, who is 5 feet 4 inches tall, said he tried to swim away, but the alligator, which was estimated to be 6 feet long, attacked his head and pulled him underwater. “It took a bite out of my head and a big chunk out of my ear,” Malcolm said.

He said he punched the alligator, and “it just squirmed away.” He swam to shore, and a neighbor drove him to a hospital.

A trapper was sent to the lake to remove the alligator.

The boy’s mother, Misty Warren, said the family had seen alligators in the area before, but none had ever bothered them.

The best thing to do during an alligator attack is struggle, make noise and create confusion, said a state spokeswoman.