BOCA RATON, Fla. – Rescuers took a 23-year-old Boca Raton woman to a hospital Sunday afternoon with a 2-foot nurse shark still clamped down on her right forearm, Boca Raton Fire Rescue Services spokesman Robert Lemons said.

The shark had been killed before rescuers arrived in the 1400 block of North Ocean Boulevard, but it was still latched to the woman’s arm, Lemons said.

Beachgoers told Local 10 News that a group of people, including the woman, were messing with the shark, at one point holding the shark by its tail.

Valeria Velazquez, who witnessed the incident, said the woman was crying.

Lifeguards didn't want to remove the shark from the woman's arm, so they called 911 for help.

"Sharks live in the water," lifeguard Dylan Narcowich said. "Once you step in, that's their territory."

The woman was taken to Boca Raton Regional Hospital in stable condition.