Baltimore police looking for suspects caught on video beating, burning cat

— -- Baltimore police are asking for help identifying five suspects caught on surveillance video beating a cat with a cinderblock and setting it on fire in mid-December.

Animal Control was called to the scene, where the cat was pronounced dead, police said.

A Facebook post on the Baltimore Police Department's page included video of the incident, as well as images of the suspects.

A local resident who saw the incident unfold and called police told ABC affiliate WMAR that the suspects are teens who have been causing trouble for quite some time.

"Damaging people’s property hanging outside the 7/11 and stores like that -- I don’t know where the parents are and I think they’re partly responsible for these cats being killed like this," the resident, who asked not to be identified, said.

“I don’t think it’s kids being kids," the resident continued. "I think it’s the parents not looking at these group of kids that’s hanging together. To me, it’s like a babysitter that they’re letting these kids go out in groups and they figure they’re alright and they don’t know what they are doing.”

Although the resident said she has never seen the teens acting aggressively against other people, she wonders if this behavior could lead to something far worse.

“When they start killing animals, next they start killing people," the resident told WMAR.

"Anyone with information on the identity of the suspects is asked to call detectives at 443-681-0101 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7Lockup," police said.