Someone in Maryland lured in seagulls with popcorn and ran them over, police say

Maryland police are looking for a person they say deliberately lured a group of birds and ran over them.

Laurel Police Department officers responded to a shopping center in Laurel Saturday morning after a report of animal cruelty in the parking lot, the department said in a Facebook post.

There, they found a group of dead seagulls close to each other.

"Through investigation, officers learned that a subject purchased a bag of pre-popped popcorn from the Dollar Tree. That subject then emptied the bag of popcorn in the parking lot intentionally luring the group seagulls," the department posted.

That person then ran over the birds with their vehicle, killing at least 10 and then fleeing the scene, police said.

Laurel is about 20 miles (30 kilometres) southwest of Baltimore.

Officers said they believe the incident took place between 9:00 and 10:30 a.m.

"Any witnesses, or anyone with information regarding this incident, is urged to contact Cpl. Wilson or send tips to [e-mail]," the department posted.