Police say an 8-year-old boy vacationing with his family in South Carolina was bitten by a boa constrictor he was trying to pet.
A report filed by Greenville police says the family from Trenton, North Carolina, was walking through downtown Greenville on Sunday when they came upon a man letting people pet a nonvenomous Colombian red-tailed boa.
Police spokesman Officer Gilberto Franco says the boy and his father approached and asked to pet the snake, which was about five feet long. When the boy tried, the snake bit him on the right forearm.
The snake was pulled off the boy's arm, according to police, and the child was taken into a nearby Starbucks for a towel and water, CBS affiliate WCSC reported.
An officer was waved down and called medical personnel to check on the boy. The wound was cleaned and bandaged by medics.
The boy was not taken to the hospital and the family told police they would take him to their pediatrician in North Carolina, if needed, WCSC reported.
No charges have been filed and the snake was not seized.
