A California man was arrested and charged for allegedly stoning to death a “beloved bird” as it sat on a pontoon at a lake.
Jeremey Jansen, 36, was filmed allegedly striking the Great Egret at Lake Gregory Regional Park in the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles, according to the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department.
Witness Kaylyn Donica told TV station KTLA that she captured the October 23 attack on cellphone video. She said she spotted two men hurling rocks at the ducks in the lake while fishing with a friend and then saw the bird attacked.
“It was just shock and anger, like, ‘What the hell is wrong with you?’” she said of witnessing the killing.
The footage shows the suspect allegedly firing a rock at the defenseless animal. A second person then broke the injured bird’s neck to “ease its suffering”, said authorities.
A third person is said to have scooped the bird from the lake, Donica told the station.
“He went walking up toward the grass with it and was looking at it under its wing. I guess he determined it was really hurt and put it out of misery,” she added.
A wildlife expert told KTLA that the bird was “beloved” by locals in the area and was known as Arthur.
Sheriff’s Department investigators managed to identify the involved subjects in the video and through witness statements.
“On Tuesday, November 12, 2024, investigators contacted Jansen at his primary residence in Claremont and confirmed he was the subject in the video,” SBSD said.
Jansen was arrested and booked into the West Valley Detention Center for animal cruelty and killing a non-game bird.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Deputy Ian Buchowiecki or Deputy Omar Romero-Rios of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department at 909-336-0600.
