Watch 'full-grown' rattlesnake surprise officer during car search that uncovered drugs, gun
A police officer made a shocking discovery while conducting a drug-related car search in Colorado on Sunday.
According to the Wheat Ridge Police Department, an officer was checking trailheads at Prospect Park when they saw the vehicle "with drug paraphernalia in plain sight" just before midnight.
Simultaneously, the car owner arrived at the scene after being dropped off by an Uber driver.
Body camera footage posted by the department shows the officer searching the front passenger's seat before making his way to the back, where he found a plastic bin with a "full-grown" rattlesnake inside.
"Yo, you got a rattlesnake in here?" the officer said. "Are you kidding me?"
"Are you serious?" the owner could be heard asking off-camera.
"Yeah, it's rattling at me," the officer responded.
Officer also found gun in car; owner will not be charged
Police said the owner allowed his friend to borrow the car and was instructed to pick it up from that location.
The owner gave the officers consent to search through the vehicle, and they found not only drugs and the snake inside the large bin but also a gun, according to police.
In the video, the officer showed his colleague the snake.
"Look at this thing. It just cocked back and tried to snap at me when I opened that," the officer said, later saying, "I've seen enough Steven Irwin documentaries, I know how these things go."
Police said the car's owner will not face any charges. However, they are working to contact the friend for questioning.
"You can imagine our officer's shock. It's a good example of how you need to be prepared for anything in this job, including snake charming," police said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Colorado police officer finds rattlesnake, drugs during car search
