LA JOLLA (NEWS 8) – A disturbing case of animal torture off La Jolla Shores was captured on camera. Photographs show a man stabbing stingrays to death for no apparent reason.
Trystan Snodgrass took pictures of dead stingrays and the man who he said stabbed them. “He was just going around and killing them like for sport or whatever reason in his head. I have been snorkeling there my entire life, so when I see someone killing something for no reason then, I don’t take kindly to that.”
Snodgrass said he was snorkeling Wednesday off La Jolla searching for leopard sharks when he saw the first dead stingray. “When I couldn't find them [leopard sharks] I decided to go north to the Marine Room. I saw another snorkeler looking at something and thought I’d go check that out.”
That was the moment Snodgrass saw the first dead stingray. “It had a bunch of wounds on the top of it.”
Snodgrass said he confronted a man nearby who he said was holding a pole with a sharp object on the end. “I am not going to try and fight the guy – he’s got a spear, but I’ll tell him you’re not supposed to be doing that.”
According to Snodgrass, the man swam away toward the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club where Snodgrass lost sight of him. “It seemed like he knew what he was doing. He definitely wanted to get away from me quickly.”
Snodgrass posted the pictures he captured on social media where some people questioned whether the man has killed stingrays at other beaches. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife reached out to Snodgrass to open an investigation.
Snodgrass said he wants justice for the stingrays, but said “we need people to be educated on the fact that this area is protected to make sure these species can thrive for anyone else to see.”