Authorities today dismissed a claim that a wrangler had nabbed a seven-foot-long alligator named Reggie from a Los Angeles lake, where he had been dumped several months ago and repeatedly avoided capture.

Two people have today been arrested for allegedly turning an alligator loose in a city lake, prompting Los Angeles officials to bring in reptile wranglers, keep crowds at bay and impose heavy patrols.

The elusive alligator discovered in a Los Angeles lake has become quite the celebrity, so a theme park in Florida wants to help the city capture it and maybe give it a little star treatment.