A man who was caught on camera beating a rooster in Fort Lauderdale was arrested on Monday, police said.
Marshall May, 30, is facing seven counts of aggravated animal cruelty.
Jamie Carr, who owns the rooster named Roger, said he took him in as a pet when the bird showed up on his doorstep two years ago.
Roger lived behind Carr’s business on the southwest side of Riverside Park along Southwest 12th Avenue and 6th Street.
On April 15, Roger flew over a fence and approached May.
Surveillance video showed a May going after Roger with a bag, and later hitting the bird multiple times with an umbrella.
“He had ample opportunity to walk away. Just push him away,” Carr said, reacting to the video. “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.”
Following the attack, Roger suffered a broken wing and a broken leg and received surgery.
“It was such a brutal and unnecessary beating,” Carr said. “We saw him underneath a woodpile. Usually, he is the most confident, energetic creature, but he was hiding under the woodpile. We knew it was pretty serious.”
Roger the Rooster is now fully healed after spending five weeks at Welleby Veterinary Hospital in Sunrise.
