Police in Maryland are looking for a person they say lured a group of birds into a parking lot just to run them over.
A suspect purchased a bag of popcorn Saturday morning at a Dollar Tree store near Baltimore, according the Laurel Police Department. The department says the suspect emptied the bag of popcorn to lure a group of seagulls, then ran over the birds.
"Upon arrival, officers observed a group of deceased seagulls all in extremely close proximity to one another," the police department wrote in a Facebook post.
The suspect killed 10 seagulls and then fled the scene, according to the department. Police believe the incident took place between 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
Felony animal cruelty charge: A Florida woman drowned her dog in the bathtub for barking too much, police say.
One seagull was recovered from the scene and taken to a local sanctuary, Cpl. Laura Wilson told USA TODAY on Sunday. She said the bird had a compound fracture and didn't survive the night.
Wilson added that Laurel police are asking for witnesses to come forward — there weren't cameras in the area of the incident. Police need to find and speak with the suspect before determining charges, but Maryland has felony and misdemeanor charges for animal cruelty, Wilson said.
Laurel is about 20 miles outside of Baltimore.