Customer angry he can’t return parakeet stomps on bird in pet store, Michigan cops say

An angry customer crushed a parakeet to death in front of the owners of a Michigan pet store after they refused to give him a refund for the bird.

According to Allen Park police, the 22-year-old man walked into the Critter Pet Shop last week, holding a small box with a parakeet he had previously purchased inside, asking to return it. Owner Rick Simms, and his brother Michael, could see one of its wings was covered in blood, and was apparently broken, police said.

The man had paid $30 for the parakeet and wanted to return it for a refund, WJBK reported. Given the state of the bird, Michael told the man they wouldn’t take it back, but offered to try to save it.

Instead, the customer smashed the box, then threw it to the ground and stomped on it, police said. Surveillance video captured the incident.

The man, who has been identified, is a Dearborn resident, Allen Park police said. He will be charged with a felony.

The brothers kept calm during the confrontation, but admit it has left them shaken, WJBK reported.

“(Michael) came to my house that night and his voice was crackling — kind of like mine is right now — because talking about and thinking about what I’ve seen on that film, kind of upsets you,” Rick Simms told the TV station.

“If he’s doing it to an animal, what’s he doing to his family or his friends?”

This story was originally published May 25, 2021 at 10:54 AM with the headline "Customer angry he can’t return parakeet stomps on bird in pet store, Michigan cops say."