A 36-year-old Los Angeles County man has been arrested after reportedly throwing a rock at a beloved Great Egret in San Bernardino, leaving the bird, which ultimately died, badly wounded.
The unsettling act of alleged animal cruelty unfolded on Oct. 23 at Lake Gregory in Crestline, according to witness Kaylyn Donica who captured the incident on cellphone video.
Donica told KTLA’s Shelby Nelson that she and a friend were fishing when the spotted two men throwing rocks at ducks in the lake, prompting her to yell at them to stop. She said they initially stopped, but about 20 minutes later, the situation took a turn.
“The one guy stood up and says, ‘Look, a crane,’” she explained. “I just got this gut feeling, like, I already yelled at these guys once. I’m not going to yell at them again.”
That’s when she said she pulled out her cellphone and began recording.
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Cellphone footage of a man allegedly throwing a rock at a Great Egret in Crestline on Oct. 23, 2024. (Kaylyn Donica) -
A Greta Egret, dubbed Arthur by locals, seen at Lake Gregory in Crestline in this undated photo. (viewer image) -
Blurred image of the bird’s remains after it was badly injured when a man allegedly hit it with a rock on Oct. 23, 2024, in Crestline. (viewer image) -
A Greta Egret, dubbed Arthur by locals, seen at Lake Gregory in Crestline in this undated photo. (viewer image) -
A Greta Egret, dubbed Arthur by locals, seen at Lake Gregory in Crestline in this undated photo. (viewer image)
