OKC Man Accused Of Smashing Turtle Into Pieces, Killing It

An Oklahoma City man was arrested after police said he smashed a turtle into pieces, killing it late Monday night.

According to police, at about 11:50 p.m., an officer saw the suspect, 35-year-old Joshua Michael Tuminski, walking towards a vacant building just west of the Circle K at Reno and Lincoln. As the officer approached Tuminski, he said he heard a crunching sound as if Tuminski was breaking something.

The officer said as he spoke with Tuminski, Tuminski ripped his shirt off and began flexing his muscles, acting like he wanted to fight. The officer asked Tuminski to calm down and sit on the ground as he checked to see if Tuminski had any warrants.

Tuminski reportedly began punching himself in the face several times and walking in circles. The officer said he then noticed a large turtle that had been smashed into pieces with its arms and neck pulled out. He said there was no access to this property for vehicles, and it was clear that this had just occurred. The officer believed Tuminski was the only one who could have done it.

The officer said that was the crunching noise he heard when he first approached Tuminski. It appears that Tuminski had slammed the turtle on the ground repeatedly and stomped on it. The officer said he was only able to recognize the animal because of the shell. 

Tuminski admitted that he had been carrying the turtle around all day, but he got mad and decided to kill it, according to the police report.

Tuminski was arrested and booked into the Oklahoma County Jail on a complaint of cruelty to animals. He is being held on $2,000 bond.