A black couple vacationing in Florida caused a ruckus at Sunny Isles Beach in late September. Shoulder-deep in the ocean, 27-year-old John Laguerre and 22-year-old Jamarria Wayne repeatedly tossed a frightened, exhausted kitten in the water, as if it were a toy. Beachgoers looked on in shock. Natalia Martin, a white woman who intervened, told a local news station, “The cat was so scared. She was passing out already. She was like half alive.”

Miss Martin made a video of the incident and told the blacks to stop. “The guy started being so aggressive towards me,” she said. “He starts stepping up. He said, ‘Hey, this is my cat. This is not your business. I can do what I want.’ And then he was like, ‘If you don’t want me to throw the cat, give me a thousand dollars right now.’”

Miss Martin called beach security and the police. The police told the couple that there was a rule against having animals on the beach and they asked the couple to leave. The situation escalated and the pair resisted arrest; a total of eight officers came on the scene. Mr. Laguerre yelled profanities at the officers and Miss Wayne threatened to bite them.

Miss Wayne was charged with two felony counts of battery and attempted battery on a law enforcement officer, as well as resisting arrest. Mr. Laguerre was charged with misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest and animal cruelty. Both bonded out.

The police handed the kitten to Miss Martin and she wrapped it in a towel. “The kitten was all shaking; she was barely alive,” she said.

Miss Martin, who already has two cats, adopted the kitten temporarily and found her a permanent home several days later.

Natalia Martin and the rescued kitten.