A 25-year-old Watts man has been sentenced to 45 days in jail after video showed him pouring alcohol into the mouth of a protected hawk at a Southern California park.
Cesar Gustavo Diaz, a convicted felon, pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge on February 19 in Los Angeles County Superior Court. A second charge, capturing or possessing a bird or mammal, was dismissed. According to NBC Los Angeles, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) announced the sentencing on Tuesday.
The case began when concerned members of the public flagged a YouTube video showing Diaz feeding a BuzzBallz ready-to-drink cocktail to a juvenile Cooper’s hawk. According to NBC News, the incident took place on June 15, 2025, at Amelia Mayberry Park in South Whittier, a community roughly 16 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles. Screenshots from the video, released by the CDFW, show the hawk sipping from the green, spherical BuzzBallz container. “Hanging out with the homie,” read one still image from the video. “Hawk loves him some buzz ball,” read another.
The CDFW’s Special Operations Unit launched an investigation, conducting five judge-approved searches and working alongside the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and its Operation Safe Streets unit to identify Diaz as the suspect. When officers were ready to make an arrest, they found him already in custody on unrelated charges. Diaz told investigators he had released the hawk before law enforcement got involved, and the bird’s condition remains unknown.
In addition to 45 days in county jail, 44 of which he had already served, partly due to credit for good behavior, as reported by KXAN, Diaz was sentenced to 12 months of probation, 20 days of community labor, and a 24-session animal cruelty counseling program. He is also banned from possessing animals for five years and firearms for 10 years, and must pay $220 in fines and fees.
Cooper’s hawks are protected under both federal and California law. Federal law enacted in 1918 and updated in 1998 prohibits the capture, possession, or sale of the birds. According to the Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory in Duluth, Minnesota, Cooper’s hawks can grow up to 15 inches in length and prey on chipmunks, squirrels, and sometimes fish.
“CDFW reminds the public that capturing, harming or harassing wildlife is illegal and can result in criminal charges,” the department said.
Two public defenders were assigned to Diaz’s case. Their office did not respond to requests for comment. Anyone with information on wildlife crimes can contact the CDFW at 888-334-2258.
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