Laguna Beach man arrested after encounter with police, faces charge of animal cruelty in death of cat

A man causing a public disturbance in Laguna Beach while squeezing a cat in his hands on Sunday, Oct. 20, allegedly bashed the animal against the hood of a responding patrol car.

An officer observed the suspect holding the cat in the air with his right hand, squeezing it, and screaming in the middle of the street near the 400 block of Hill Street, Laguna Beach Police Sgt. Jim Cota said. The man refused to comply with demands from police, who then fired a Taser at him. He appeared unaffected by the electric shock deterrent and proceeded to walk toward police.

He appeared to say something that was unintelligible to officers at the scene as he approached a patrol car, Cota said. The man then began slamming the animal he held in his hand against the hood of the vehicle. Officers deployed a Taser again, which caused the suspect to fall onto the ground. He was arrested, and officers noticed the cat was dead, police said.

Joey Gabaldon, 52, of Laguna Beach, was examined at Mission Hospital, then transported to the Orange County Jail following the incident. He was charged Tuesday, Oct. 22, with one felony count each of animal cruelty and resisting officers, as well as three misdemeanor offenses stemming from the disturbance on Sunday, court records show. He was in custody and held in lieu of $20,000 bail.

It was not immediately clear why he wanted to harm the animal, Cota said. He was unable to confirm with certainty whether the cat was alive when police first arrived, but said officers believed it was alive prior to the incident. The incident remained under investigation Tuesday evening.