(RNN) – When you start kicking beloved swans and ducks at a local lake, feathers are going to fly.
Orlando Police charged Rocco Mantella with cruelty to animals after people saw him injuring birds at Lake Eola Park.
"I guess he was (practicing) karate kicks or something, and … he just kicked it right in the head," David Camp told WFTV. "And I was like what was this guy doing?"
The police report said a witness told police that Mantella kicked the swans “as hard as possible,” and then laughed after seeing the reaction of a woman who saw him kicking them.
Another witness said he also kicked a small duck.
The Swans and other birds at Lake Eola are major part of the park’s identity. Swan-shaped paddles boats are available for rent.
Mantella appeared in court Friday and was held on $1,000 bond.
ARRESTED: Rocco Joseph Mantella, (34yoa), was arrested for Cruelty to Animals after witnesses observed him @LakeEolaPark disturbing and kicking swans. pic.twitter.com/t24MZunikd
— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) April 26, 2018
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