Seagull Slayer Surrenders

The suspect in an alleged seagull slaughter at the Cumberland Mall surrendered to police Friday.

Arnold Robinson, the attorney for 18-year-old Millville, N.J., suspect told the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Thursday that his client would cooperate fully in the investigation. The teen is facing animal cruelty charges.

The suspect was 17 at the time of the incident so he is being charged as a juvenile and NBC 10 News is not releasing his name. Police are charging the teen with one count of animal cruelty and the game commission is charging him with killing a protected species.

Authorities released Home Depot surveillance video on Wednesday, hoping it would help them solve what the SPCA called a shocking case of animal cruelty.

The SPCA said that the teen allegedly lured a flock of seagulls with food and then intentionally ran them over in the mall parking lot in Vineland, N.J.

Officials from the local SPCA admitted that seagulls can be a nuisance at the Cumberland Mall. But they said it doesn't give anybody the right to deliberately run them down.

"These birds were just destroyed," said Bev Greco from the Cumberland County SPCA. "No pun intended but they were sitting ducks."

In the videotape, a red sedan entered the mall parking area. Less than a minute later, the car was seen on screen heading right for the seagulls, which scattered like a white cloud of dust.

On the tape, the car kept going, leaving behind 10 dead gulls and six injured ones that had to be put to sleep.

Investigators found chicken bones and balled-up tuna fish on the ground, making them believe the birds were lured before they were bludgeoned.

"That's appalling behavior," Greco said. "We would like any person in the public with information to come forward and help us."

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