Sam Williams says hawks have been dive-bombing pedestrians in his Long Beach neighborhood, apparently trying to protect a full nest in a tree on Chestnut Avenue. Kim Baldonado reports from Long Beach for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on June 1, 2012.
At least one hawk is dive-bombing people in Long Beach, apparently in an attempt to protect a nest holding baby hawks high up in a tree on Chestnut Avenue.
"Some people have actually got attacked on the arm," said resident Sam Williams. "They had my friend, pulled him by his hair."
Residents say they've seen hawks nesting in the neighborhood for the past three years, but this is the first time the birds have become aggressive.
"We have seen innocent ladies walking down through here and birds come down and grab their shoulder and scratch them," said resident Dennis Snapp, adding that the hawks have swooped down on kids as young as 8 years old.
By protecting the babies in the nest, the hawk, thought to be the mother of the chicks, has inflicted some pain on her neighbors.
"It just came down, came down after us and we ducked and I scraped my knee up 'cause it was too close for us to run," said resident Sandra Allen.
Despite the dive-bombing, some residents say they enjoy having the hawk family in their neighborhood.
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"I think it's great to see the hawk there protecting its nest," Allen said.
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