JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A rattlesnake in Florida ended up in the back of a police car.

The snake was being carried by a homeless man walking around Jacksonville Beach on Monday morning. According to Fox 30, the man told police that God compelled him to rescue the snake and keep it safe from traffic.

https://twitter.com/JaxBeachPD/status/1097516526645727234

Sgt. Larry Smith told local news stations the snake was 6 to 8 feet (2 to 2.5 meters) long.

When police stopped the man, they told him to throw the reptile into the back of their vehicle for safety.

In a WTLV-TV report , video shows a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officer pulling the snake from the patrol car’s back seat. The rattles at the end of the snake’s tail can be heard shaking as the officer drops the snake into a plastic container.

The snake was relocated to a wooded area. No injuries were reported.

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