Just call him Python Dundee.

A Miami man pulled an 18-foot Burmese python out of roadside brush and wrestled with it for 10 minutes before cutting its head off with a knife.

The 128-pound specimen turned out to be the biggest Burmese python ever captured in Florida, besting the previous record by more than a foot, wildlife officials said.

"I was pretty exhausted and I didn't want to get bit," Jason Leon, 23, said of the decapitation that ended his struggle with the massive constrictor.

For his trouble, Leon got thanks from the the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, which considers Burmese pythons an invasive species that wreaks havoc on the state's ecosystem.

"I would think a snake of that size could kill a very large animal," said Carli Segelson, a commission spokeswoman. "It could kill a deer, so a person would be comparable in size to that."

Leon, a college student studying marine biology, said he was riding ATVs with friends in a rural area on May 11 when one of them spotted about three feet of snake sticking out of some brush.

Leon, who used to keep snakes, had never seen a python in the wild and decided to get up close and personal with this one. It wasn't until he yanked him out that he realized how big it was.

As he held it by the neck, the female wrapped around his leg once, then twice and then headed for his waist. He kept grappling with it until he became worried it might sink its razor-sharp teeth into him.

A friend handed him a nine-inch knife and he sunk it into the snake, he said.

Two days later, Leon called wildlife officials, who took the snake and confirmed it was a record-setter. He agreed to donate the skeleton but has been promised the skin, which he plans to tan and put on his living room wall.

Officials said they are grateful the python is no longer roaming the wild and that Leon was not hurt.

"Anytime people are dealing with wildlife, we recommend they use common sense," Segelson said. "If you're going to approach a Burmese python of this size, you should have an understanding of what it takes to euthanize it."

Danny Izzi / www.AvantiLimoRide.com

A photo taken by Avanti Limousines and Airport Transportation owner Danny Izzi at the scene of the accident in Davie, Fla.

Cummerbunds and courage rounded out prom night for a group of 20 Florida teenagers who sprang from their limo to help the victims of an automobile accident on Saturday.

The high school seniors were gussied up to dance the night away in Fort Lauderdale when a van carrying a family of seven overturned in front of them on Interstate 595. A dramatic video captured the students from Western High School in Davie, Fla., as they helped pull five adults and two children from the vehicle.

The driver of the van, a Honda Odyssey, was traveling eastbound on I-595 when traffic slowed, said Sgt. Mark Wysocky of Florida Highway Patrol. The driver apparently veered to the left, bouncing off the divider and turning the van on its side.

The students were in their Cadillac Escalade limo directly behind the van when it flipped just before 6:45 p.m., Danny Izzi, president of Avanti Limousines and Airport Transportation, told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

“I almost hit them,” Izzi, who was at the wheel of the limo, told the paper. “I had to slam on my brakes, but with 20 kids in there it’s really [difficult] to put the brakes on.”

Prom-goer Peter Kim told NBC Miami that he grabbed a young boy from the overturned van and helped calm the mother.

“We laid her down, and we tried to calm her down. She was just panicking, she was in shock,” Kim said. “She was screaming out, ‘Where’s my baby? Where’s my baby?’”

“I was just hoping that the people were OK,” said fellow senior Frank Tucker.

The students still made it to prom after what Tucker described as a “silent” ride.

“It felt great that we got to help someone out and that we didn’t just roll on by,” Kim told NBC Miami. “I’m happy that I had my peers that actually helped out instead of just sitting there and doing nothing.”

The professionals agreed.

“It was really amazing, because nowadays when people are so willing not to get involved they were ready to get involved,” Sgt. Wysocky said. “All the students and the limo driver should be commended for stopping.”

There were no serious injuries, Wysocky said, though a 2-year-old child was not secured by a seat belt at the time of the accident.

For 14 years, Lt. Bill Schwartz was the face of the Miami Police Department.

As one of the most outspoken public information officers in the country, Schwartz left a lasting impact in South Florida.

Then, after retiring from the force in 2008, his life took a dramatic turn. For the past three years, Schwartz has been starring in a new role – as a nude model.

“After leaving the police department I was in a show where I had a nude scene, and the show and even my performance got mediocre reviews, but my body got raves,” said Schwartz, 60.

Now he travels to art classes around South Florida a few times a week.

“I find this is a real privilege because I’m in a partnership with the artist to create something special, and nothing gives me a bigger thrill than to walk around during a break and see just how beautiful their work is,” Schwartz said.

Jan Johnson, an art professor at Broward College, said Schwartz is a natural at nude modeling.

“He immediately knows what I’m talking about when I say I need a certain type of pose,” she said.

Johnson teaches her students to capture the proportion, scale and energy of the model.

“Bill’s interesting because he’ll strike some interesting poses, I guess,” said Michael Valverde, a student at Broward College.

As a lieutenant, Schwartz was a tough, compassionate and sincere character, but it wasn’t until he started doing his current body of work that he realized how confident he is in his own skin.

“In theatre we always talk about being in the moment on stage. It’s very difficult, because in life being in the moment is very difficult. And I think that this job has helped me learn how to be in the moment,” he said.

It’s a moment some of his former colleagues get a good laugh out of – but also respect him for.

“I’ve always wanted to recreate myself from the time I was young, do different things, never repeat myself much, and I think the police department was great because there was a lot of variety there and I loved it, it was a great career,” Schwartz said. “Acting is great in that way – you play different roles. And this has been great. I guess I can’t wait to see what’s gonna happen next.”

A couple from San Francisco was arrested Thursday for vandalizing a Miami veterinary office after they found out their dog died during minor knee surgery.

Reyez, an America bulldog, was at Banfield Pet Hospital, inside a PetSmart at 3301 Southwest Coral Way, for the procedure. When they found out he died, Alejandra Zavaleta, 31, and Edman Vargas, 34, were outraged.

Pictures show medical supplies littering the floor and window blinds torn apart.

According to Vargas' sister, Cindy Vargas, what sparked the incident was the doctor's lack of information about the dog's death.

NBC 6 South Florida

Reyez, an American bulldog, died Thursday during minor knee surgery.

"The doctor was standing up against the counter with his arms crossed and saying 'I don't know what happened,'" Cindy Vargas said. "When we had specific questions he left the building."

According to one PetSmart employee, the doctor left the building because he feared for his safety.

The hospital released a statement Friday explaining the dog's condition.

"Reyes [sic] appeared to be recovering normally after anesthesia when he unexpectedly went into respiratory and cardiac arrest — the hospital administered CPR but was unsuccessful in reviving Reyes," said the statement. "Anytime a pet undergoes anesthesia there is a rare risk of an unforeseen adverse event."

The statement goes on to say: "We understand how hard it is to lose a pet — our hearts go to the Vargas family for the loss of Reyes.”

Edman Vargas and Zavaleta are being held on a $13,000 bond each.

A suspect has been arrested in connection with Thursday's incident in which nine students were hospitalized for a possible overdose after eating laced brownies, officials said.

A large amount of marijuana, as well as cocaine and brownies, were found at the home of the suspect, who is not a student, Miami-Dade County Public Schools spokesman John Schuster said.

Miami-Dade Schools Police arrested Dionisio Lockridge, 22, for possession of marijuana, possession of marijuana with intent to sell, possession of cocaine, and possession of Xanax, according to Schuster. It was not immediately known whether Lockridge has an attorney.

The brownies have been sent to the Miami-Dade crime lab for testing.

The nine students from Miami Coral Park Senior High School were taken to Miami Children's Hospital, South Miami Hospital and Kendall Regional, Schuster said earlier. Another student received treatment but was not transported by fire rescue, he said.

It was unknown what was in the food they ate.

"Miami-Dade Schools Police are investigating the matter to identify the substance that the students ingested as well as the source of the substance," the school district said in an email statement.

More news from NBCMiami.com

Earlier, aerial footage showed two ambulances parked in front of the school, located at 8865 Southwest 16th Street in Miami, and authorities waiting outside with a stretcher.

"The students were transported as a precautionary measure," the school board said in a statement. "Miami-Dade Schools Police are investigating the matter to identify the substance the students ingested as well as the source of the substance."

A student told NBC 6 that Thursday morning, a number of students were selling brownies to their peers, and then moments later, after ingesting the food, many got violently ill.

"I saw the kids throwing up. There were kids who were very itchy," said student Danivellis Torres.

Another student said she saw kids passing out.

"I'm very nervous. I don't understand what happened here," said parent Cecilia Mantilla.

A small plane made an emergency landing on the northbound lanes of U.S. Highway 27 in South Florida on Sunday morning, but no injuries were reported.

The pilot told NBC6 he was flying from Opa-locka to Sebring, Fla., and was at an altitude of about 600 feet when he noticed his windshield becoming covered with oil.

The pilot, a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue lieutenant, did not want to be interviewed on camera but he spoke about how he brought the single-engine Cessna 182 to a stop in the right lane of U.S. 27 North, about 300 yards south of the Griffin Road exit.

The engine conked out and he knew he was in trouble -- but he also knew U.S. 27 was nearby, so he made a nice, easy landing on the highway in no traffic, he said.

More from NBCMiami.com

The plane, whose tail number is N5133R, was made in 1978, Federal Aviation Administration records show.

Sunday's emergency landing followed the crash of a small plane in a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., parking lot Friday that killed all three people aboard.

On Saturday, NFL player Donte' Stallworth and his girlfriend Soleil Guerrero received serious burns when when a hot air balloon carrying them crashed into power lines in Homestead, Fla.

Miami Police are enforcing a curfew for children under the age of 17, citing safety.

Curfew hours are 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday to Thursday and midnight to 6 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Children under 17 are not allowed to "linger, stay, congregate, move about, wander, or stroll in any public place in Miami-Dade County, either on foot or in a vehicle during curfew hours," according to police.

NBC Miami

"I don't really need a curfew, but I do feel that a curfew is important because young kids like my age are dying in the streets," Keith Stewart said.

Players for Team Pete Basketball said they don't like the move.

"I don't really need a curfew," Keith Stewart said, "but I do feel that a curfew is important because young kids like my age are dying in the streets." 

Other Miami youths said they support the curfew.

"Make them go home, do a little homework, get them home early," Robert Sanchez said.

Said adult Cesar Barrero: "Kids at that age … there's nothing for kids to do from 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock in the morning."

More from NBCMiami.com

Police say exemptions include if a child is with a parent or legal guardian or someone over 21 years old who has permission to be responsible for the child; and if the juvenile is working or traveling to or from work, traveling interstate, or has written permission to run an errand from a parent or guardian.

Other exemptions are if a child is helping in an emergency, traveling to or from a school or a religious, civic or county-sponsored event, is emancipated by marriage or court order, is homeless, is exercising First Amendment rights, or is on the property of his residence or a neighbor's residence who does not object, if the child is attending or coming back from a public event that began before 10 p.m. and has written permission, and if the child's activity is authorized by the county commission.

Police have not yet given reasons for the curfew, besides safety. But many people point to rashes of violent and sometimes deadly street crimes often involving young people.

"You know what's going on," Pete Soriano of Team Pete Sports said. "You got drug dealing, you got shootouts, kids getting killed left and right."

At Overtown's Gibson Park, manager Benjamin Hanks supports the curfew -- recalling all too well the night three people were shot at a youth football game last September. He believes a police presence, and the curfew, will help make the city's parks and streets safer.

"I think it's overdue that we need cops' supervision, more for preventive measures for the safety of people," Hanks said.

NBCMiami.com

A mother and her two children were among four people shot at a house in south Miami, authorities said Wednesday night.

The victims included the 43-year-old mother, her 14-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son, who were taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center, Miami Fire-Rescue said.

They were listed in critical condition, Miami Police said.

A body of a male was also discovered inside the home - at 2610 SW 24th St. - after the shooting that took place just after 9:30 p.m., police said.

'We heard a bang'
Witness Jennifer Pisch said she heard gunshots and a child scream for help.

“We heard a bang, and my husband tried to find the control to lower the TV. By the time we lowered the TV, we heard a little girl say help," Pisch said. "So then my brother-in-law knocked on the door, on our door, our room door, and he said, 'throw yourself on the floor, there’s shots outside, somebody’s shooting next door'.”

More news from NBCMiami.com

Pisch said she then dropped down to the ground.

Later, she said, she saw a first responder carrying a child in his arms, trying to get her into the ambulance.

Police said that the responding officers who entered the home following the shooting were seen running back out of the house only moments later. They carried a child and handed him off to fire rescue personnel, police said.

One of the two suspects who was the subject of an intense manhunt following a shootout with detectives at a West Kendall, Fla., home has been found dead in an apparent suicide, police said Wednesday.

Miami-Dade Police confirmed that the body of Dell Peter DiGiovanni was found in the area of Southwest 48th Terrace and Southwest 147th Place, as officers conducted a massive manhunt following the Tuesday night shootout.

The discovery came just hours after a burned body was found inside the home in the 15400 block of Southwest 57th Street where the incident began. The body found in the home hasn't been identified.

Police had been searching for Digiovanni, 50, and relative Michael Steven DiGiovanni, 28, following the shooting that happened around 7:15 p.m. when detectives approached the home and came under fire from the suspects.

VIDEO: West Kendall House On Fire Morning After Shootout

As detectives returned fire, the house caught fire, police said. None of the officers were injured.

A third suspect, Brian Kelly Howell, 29, was taken into custody after officers set up a perimeter from Miller Drive to 64th Avenue and from SW 142nd Avenue to SW 157th Avenue, Miami-Dade Police said. 

Police had said Dell and Michael DiGiovanni were said to be on the run and likely armed and dangerous.

Miami-Dade Police spokesman Alvaro Zabaleta said the suspects were related but the exact nature of their relationship was unknown.

Zabaleta had earlier said there was still a possibility that someone, including one of the suspects, could be inside the house that was set on fire.

"We have not been able to enter or process the house itself because of the fact that it's still considered to be unsafe, fire has not been able to get to it because it's still too hot," Zabaleta said Wednesday.

When officers and firefighters entered the home Wednesday morning, they discovered the body.

Police said it wasn't immediately clear if all of the men shot at police. Narcotics units were investigating a possible grow house at the home, police said.

Cop Stabbed By Escaped Prisoner Returns to Miami

"These individuals obviously attempted to kill an officer so the very minimum you're gonna have attempted murder on a law enforcement officer," Zabaleta said of the charges they'll face.

Neighbor Rodrigo Ruez said he heard what sounded like automatic guns and backup fire.

"It sounded like the world was ending because everybody was panicking, 'cause everybody heard the shootings,” said Ruez, who was minutes away from his home when he heard the gunshots.

VIDEO: West Miami-Dade Shootout Caught on Camera; Suspect Arrested

Smoke had billowed out of the burning home late Tuesday and into Wednesday morning as Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel waited in the area, ready to move in at a moment's notice.

Dozens of police officers were on the scene Tuesday, some of them walking around with rifles.

Some West Kendall residents were kept away from their homes as police searched. Ashley Diaz, like dozens of people, could not get into her home.

She said she was coming back from Target when she found her way blocked, so she stopped at a gas station – where she had been ever since.

“We’re stuck. We can’t go that way, we can’t go that way,” Diaz said, pointing in opposite directions.

Fugitive Wanted for Hialeah Shootout Captured: Cops

The perimeter mostly impacted two housing developments in the area – Lakes of the Meadows and Westwood Lakes.

"This is where I live, and it’s just not safe anymore," said displaced resident Anthony Guzman. "People have kids growing up here. It’s not right.”

This story was originally published on Wed Feb 20, 2013 7:59 PM EST

A Texas woman was the first passenger to file suit, hours after the Carnival Triumph cruise that left about 3,200 passengers adrift was towed into Mobile, Ala.

Cassie Terry sought unspecified damages against Carnival Corp. in Miami federal court on Friday claiming she was "injured as a result of the unseaworthy, unsafe, unsanitary, and generally despicable conditions."

Terry also claimed a "breach of maritime contract, negligence, negligent misrepresentation, and fraud."

The cruise line has yet to issue a response. "We haven't yet seen the suit and are not in a position to comment," said Jennifer De La Cruz, a spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Lines.

The cruiser was hobbled after an engine fire broke out on the ship, leaving the passengers without power or working bathrooms for five days.

Mark Mazan, another passenger aboard the stricken ship, said he was less than satisfied with the crew.

"It was mistake after mistake after mistake, incompetence to a point I've never seen," Mazan told NBC's TODAY.

Not all agreed. Passenger Martha Vielhabe praised the cruise ship staff’s response to the crisis, calling them "absolutely fabulous and fantastic."

Passengers spoke of their five-day floating nightmare after filing ashore on Friday. Some said that that the corridors of the Triumph began to reek of sewage, and said they stood on long lines to get food. Others said they sought refuge from the ship’s overheated interior by sleeping on the deck.

Carnival Cruise Lines CEO Gerry Cahill apologized for the ordeal as passengers came ashore Friday. “We pride ourselves on providing our guests with a great vacation experience, and clearly we failed in this particular case,” he said.

Because the ship is registered in the Bahamas and the fire occurred in international waters, the official investigation is being conducted by the Bahamian Maritime Authority with assistance from the United States Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board.