Wild moment knife-wielding ‘gangster’ CRAB tries to attack man and his dog as critter takes swipe at terrified pooch

THIS is the wild moment a knife-wielding crab squares up to a terrified pooch before its stunned owner tackles the blade-brandishing beast.

Bizarre footage shows the feisty crustacean scuttling through a Florida garden armed with what appears to be a pocket-knife.

The pint-sized menace then appears to take a swipe at adorable dog Summer as she cautiously sniffs around the unlikely intruder.

Her owner Eduardo Alvarez spots the bizarre danger and races over – only to find himself locked in a tense stand-off with the armed crab.

A stunned Alvarez asked: “Summer, where the heck did you find a crab with a freaking shank?”

Footage shows the fearless Florida resident desperately trying to snatch the creature while keeping clear of its snapping claws and makeshift weapon.

He eventually manages to seize the nippy beast and carries it further into the yard as the baffling encounter continues.

“Summer, I don’t recommend messing with this,” he warns.

“This is a gangster-ass crab,” Alvarez quips.

The astonishing clip was shared on alongside the caption: “Florida is getting out of hand.

And the bizarre showdown quickly exploded online, racking up more than 20million views after being posted on Wednesday.

The unlikely attacker appears to be a blue land crab – a hulking species found in Florida, typically within five miles of the coast.

The hefty crustaceans can boast a leg span of up to 12 inches and weigh around a pound.

But the mystery of how this particular crab apparently got its claws on a blade remains unsolved.

Its weapon appears to be part of a pocket-knife, although it is unclear how the creature came to be carrying it.

The jaw-dropping encounter sent social media users into meltdown, with viewers stunned by both the armed crab and Alvarez’s remarkably casual response.

“I don’t know what’s more surprising; a crab with a shank or you just lifting him up like its an everyday occurrence,” one user wrote.

“You can tell it’s Florida cuz he picked it up while laughing,” another quipped.

Others joked the bizarre spectacle could “only happen in Florida”, while some questioned whether the footage had been generated using AI.

But it is not the first time a crab has apparently been caught with a terrifying weapon clamped in its claw.

native Kyle King stumbled across an equally chilling sight while in in 2022.

King was jolted awake at 2am by scratching against his tent – before discovering a giant coconut crab reportedly brandishing a steak knife.

The razor-sharp encounter was also caught on camera, showing the enormous crustacean clutching the blade in its claw.