A man has been arrested and faces charges after a disturbing instance of animal cruelty was captured on surveillance video, showing him beating a rooster with an umbrella. The man identified as Marshall May, 30, has been slapped with seven counts of aggravated animal cruelty, stemming from the April 15th incident involving a rooster named Roger, owned by Fort Lauderdale local Jamie Carr. In details confirmed by NBC Miami, Roger had simply flown over a fence when he encountered May, who reacted with inexplicable violence.
It was reported that Roger ventured too close to May near his car, prompting the assault. May, instead of choosing to retreat retrieved an umbrella from his vehicle and repeatedly struck the bird, which resulted in Roger sustaining a broken wing and leg; these injuries required surgical treatment. As The New York Post notes, the owner, Jamie Carr, expressed his shock at the brutality of the attack on an animal that was known for its confidence and energetic nature but found itself cowering under a woodpile following May's attack on the rooster that had wandered into Carr's life two years prior as a surprise pet.
According to an interview with NBC Miami, Carr relayed his feelings about the incident, "It was such a brutal and unnecessary beating," reflecting on how May had bypassed opportunities to disengage from the situation. "He actually went to his car, got the umbrella out of his car after he was already gone and went and beat him like 2-3 times," Carr said, highlighting what appears to be a deliberate act of cruelty to the injuried rooster that once proudly roamed behind Carr's business, located in the southwest side of Riverside Park.
Five weeks spent at Welleby Veterinary Hospital led to a full recovery for Roger, according to details shared by NBC Miami. May awaits his day in court.
