Police in Central California said Friday they have arrested and charged a man with swiping a person’s severed leg after the victim was killed by a passing train.
The Kern County Sheriff’s Office said they took Resendo Tellez, 27, into custody on charges of taking evidence from the scene. Authorities said Mr. Tellez had other outstanding arrest warrants as well.
The sheriff’s office said an unidentified person was fatally struck by an Amtrak train in Wasco around 8 a.m. Friday.
The victim’s leg was severed during the incident, and that’s when Mr. Tellez grabbed the limb, police said.
A witness video from the scene appears to show Mr. Tellez holding the severed leg.
Graphic.
Verified video shows a Latino man in Wasco, Calif. appearing to bite into the severed leg of a person who was hit and killed by an Amtrak train today. Deputies arrested Resendo Tellez for removing evidence from a scene of an accident. pic.twitter.com/rxC3jmj2gK
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) March 22, 2024
At one point, the suspect is seen bending over and inspecting the leg in his hands. He appears to raise the leg to his mouth and bite into it.
The suspect then faces the camera and wipes his mouth.
The video captures deputies arriving on scene as the man begins to walk away.
The suspect lifts up the leg and gestures with it toward authorities as he tries to leave the area.