Of course you have the typical 'this is no big deal', 'boys will be boys', 'cmon your honor you cant punish our son over a lil innocent funnin' reaction whenever a member of the privilege class gets caught in reckless, illegal, and/or criminal activity.
This isnt a 12 year old boy and his "prank". A grown ass man in his mid-20s damn sure understands the consequences of throwing a live gator in a tight, enclosed spot filled with people. The goddamn thing could have had someone's achilles for lunch. The stupid a$$hole wanted someone to get seriously hurt. That was the whole point.