Crocodile spotted on beach in Hollywood, Florida

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers and a trapper later arrived and captured the crocodile

A six-foot crocodile has been captured after being spotted on a beach in Hollywood, Florida.

Hundreds of onlookers gathered to watch the reptile sit motionless on the sand while waves crashed around it.

Local police officers stood nearby.

“Right now, we're just keeping everyone away from the shore as much as possible, for their safety, as well as the crocodile,” Officer Christian Lata told a local ABC affiliate.

According to the news outlet, the crocodile eventually walked back toward the ocean, seeming to soak up the salt water.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers and a trapper later arrived and captured the crocodile.

According to the Sun-Sentinel, a wildlife officer snared the crocodile by the neck and dragged it up the beach, as the reptile remained motionless with its mouth open. Officials then tied its mouth shut with black tape.

It was placed on a truck and driven off the beach as beachgoers cheered and applauded.

“It will be evaluated, tagged and released into a suitable mangrove habitat,” FWC spokesman Rob Klepper said in a statement.