Moose stabbed to death in Alaska park; suspects in custody
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Police say they arrested three suspects after a moose was stabbed to death in an Alaska park.
Anchorage police spokeswoman Jennifer Castro says that three males were apprehended Tuesday night after the animal was killed near a bike trail in Russian Jack Springs Park.
A bicyclist called police around 7:30 p.m. reporting that the three were harassing and then stabbing the animal.
The moose was described by police in a news release as "smaller in size."
Castro says officers located the three suspects near the scene. The animal was found dead with "several lacerations" and "large tufts of hair pulled from its body," police say, according to CBS affiliate KTVA.
The station identifies the suspects as 25-year-old Johnathan Candelario, 28-year-old James Galloway and 33-year-old Nick Johnston. They were each charged with cruelty to animals, a felony; wanton waste of big game, a misdemeanor; and felony tampering with evidence.
Witnesses reportedly told police they observed the three men jumping on the moose, kicking it and stabbing it with a large knife.
Moose are a fairly common sight in Anchorage.