News
February 25, 2026
25-Year-Old Man Who Poured Alcohol into Hawk’s Mouth Sentenced to Jail Time for Animal Cruelty
Cesar Gustavo Diaz captured the bird at Amelia Mayberry Park in Los Angeles County in June 2025, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said.
A man in Los Angeles County has been sentenced to 45 days in jail and 12 months of probation after a video surfaced on YouTube showing him pouring alcohol into a protected hawk’s mouth.
On Thursday, Feb. 19, Cesar Gustavo Diaz, 25, of Watts, learned his fate after entering a no-contest plea to an animal cruelty charge after being seen giving a juvenile Cooper’s hawk an alcoholic beverage. He’d captured the bird at Amelia Mayberry Park in South Whittier, Calif., in June 2025, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) confirmed in a Facebook post.
CDFW stated of Diaz in the post, “He was sentenced to 12 months of summary probation, 45 days in Los Angeles County Jail (with credit for time served), 20 days of community labor, completion of a 24-session animal cruelty counseling program, five-year prohibition on possessing animals, ten-year firearm prohibition and payment of $220 in fines and fees.”
The governmental organization confirmed that “concerned members of the public” had “alerted” them after seeing the YouTube clip. This then prompted an investigation by the Special Operations Unit.
Images shared on the Facebook page showed the hawk being fed alcohol from what appeared to be a green BuzzBallz cocktail container.
The CDFW said, “Wildlife officers executed five search warrants during the investigation.”
“With the assistance of detectives from [Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department] LASD Operation Safe Streets, Diaz, a convicted felon who was already in custody on unrelated charges, was identified and later interviewed,” the post noted.
The CDFW said that Diaz had “allegedly released the hawk prior to CDFW intervening.”
The organization reminds the public that “Cooper’s hawks are protected under California and federal law,” pointing out that “capturing, harming or harassing wildlife is illegal and can result in criminal charges.”
Diaz had already served 44 of his 45 days in jail ahead of sentencing, partly with the help of credit for good behavior, NBC News reported, citing court records.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and a Los Angeles County courts spokesperson didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.
