Police shot a snake to death Wednesday as it was trying to strangle a man in the US, according to CBS News.

Police officers were called to a home in Pennsylvania where a 28-year-old man was in cardiac arrest. When officers arrived, the man was unresponsive and lying on the floor.

A large snake had wrapped the middle portion of its body around the man’s neck.

One of the officers was able to shoot the snake in the head without causing any further injury to the man.

Then, the officers were able to pull the man to safety after the snake was shot. The animal, which they estimated to be at least 15-feet long (4.5m), eventually died from its injuries.

Following the incident, the man was rushed to a hospital in the area. His current condition is unknown at the time of writing.