Mail carrier attacks peacock in Southern California

WARNING: The video attached to this article may be disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised.

PASADENA, Calif. (NBC, KYMA) - A disturbing moment was caught on camera in Pasadena, California recently.

Footage captured shows what appears to be a mail carrier attacking a peacock, with some neighbors saying the bird is familiar to them, and said they're horrified by what happened.

It appears to show a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) worker hitting an all white peacock with a rock at least twice, and then taking what looks like a stick and hitting the peacock until it thrashes on the street.

"Just how could you do that? It's such a wonderful bird and I know it was probably like following him around," said Gina Davis, a Pasadena resident. "But, both times in the video you see that the bird wasn't being aggressive so why you would have to hurt him like that? I just didn't understand."

Davis' cameras captured the disturbing video on Mohawk Street in Pasadena. She says the peacock is well known in the neighborhood and is harmless.

"My family calls him Sugar...other people call him Charlie. Someone calls him Shen. He's been here for several years and the entire neighborhood knows him and he wanders the streets around here," Davis shared. "Everybody knows him and loves him and we're so sad to see what happened to him."

The Pasadena Humane Society (PHS) picked up the bird and had him checked out by a vet.

"The good news is he seems to be okay at this point. So the prognosis is really good," said Kevin McManus with PHS. "He's up and walking about much better than he was."

PHS has also launched an investigation into the attack.

"All day today have been canvassing the neighborhood, talking neighbors, looking at video," McManus remarked.

People who live in the neighborhood said they hope the mail carrier faces some sort of consequences, and said their peacock finds a safe place to live.

"I doubt they'll drop him back off in the neighborhood, but hopefully he'll have a nice sanctuary or maybe he can go back to the arboretum or something," Davis expressed. "We just want to know he's going to be taken care of."

PHS says the mail carrier could face animal cruelty charges, and the USPS has not responded to a request for comment.