A cruel ex-convict has been sentenced to 45 days behind bars after footage showed him pouring booze into a protected hawk’s beak.
Cesar Gustavo Diaz, 25, snatched a young Cooper’s hawk in June 2025 from Amelia Mayberry Park in South Whittier, Los Angeles.
Video uploaded to YouTube showed him offering the bird of prey a BuzzBallz cocktail with the caption: “Hanging out with the homie. Hawk loves him some buzz ball.”
Another segment of the footage appeared to show the hawk with some sort of cigarette hanging out of its mouth.
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The clip sparked outrage among animal rights activists and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife launched an investigation.
They executed five search warrants and tracked down Diaz, who was already incarcerated on unrelated charges.
Authorities believe Diaz released the hawk before officials could intervene, leaving the bird’s fate a mystery.
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Cops sent the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office as a felony animal cruelty case. Diaz was charged with misdemeanor animal cruelty and capturing or confining wildlife.
Last week Diaz pleaded no contest to the animal cruelty charge.
In addition to jail and probation, Diaz must complete 20 days of community labor, attend 24 animal cruelty counseling sessions, stay away from animals for five years, avoid firearms for a decade and pay a $220 fine.
Cooper’s hawks are protected under California and federal law.
