Cat Dies After Man Beats It Against Patrol Car In Front Of Officers

A Laguna Beach, California, man was charged with animal cruelty Sunday after he killed a cat by beating it against the hood of a patrol car.

Police responded to a street early Sunday after receiving reports that a man was yelling in the middle of the road. The responding officers saw the man, later identified as 52-year-old Joey Gabaldon, raising a feline into the air with his hand while screaming in the middle of the street. When the officers asked him to stop screaming, the man began walking toward them while yelling loudly. One of the officers used his taser, but it was of no use and the man continued approaching them.

The man then walked over to the police car and began beating the animal against its hood. The officer used his taser again and Gabaldon fell to the ground. Police then went near the cat to check on it and noticed that it was dead.

The accused was taken to the hospital for medical clearance after which he was charged with cruelty to animals and resisting an executive officer. He was also charged with two counts each of resisting a public or peace officer and assaulting an officer or emergency personnel. He was being held at the Orange County Jail with his bail set at $20,000. Police were searching for the cat's owner and the motive behind the crime was not known.