Altamonte Springs police officers hopped on an eight foot alligator’s back, tied it up and tossed it in a nearby lake. Now, they’re in hot water for how they handled the incident. The Altamonte Springs Police Department and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Department are investigating why the officers didn’t call for an alligator trapper.

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Residents of the Coral Glen Apartments called police after spotting the eight foot alligator in their breezeway. When officers arrived, they found the animal trying to climb the stairs. Instead of calling a trapper, the officers tied the alligator to a tree. They then released it into Lake Lotus.

The Altamonte Springs Police Department has disciplined the officers for taking what it called “an unnecessary personal risk.”

Florida Fish and Wildlife is also looking into what happened. Policy dictates that gators four feet long or smaller can be released back into the wild. But gators longer than four feet are killed because they’re considered dangerous and aggressive.