A taxi driver in Tokyo was arrested after being accused of running over a pigeon

• Tokyo has arrested a taxi driver after accusing him of killing a pigeon with his car, per local media.
• Police said a passerby called emergency services after seeing him plough into a flock of birds.

A taxi driver in Japan was arrested on Tuesday after being accused of charging his car into a flock of pigeons and striking one of the birds, local media reported.

Tokyo police said they arrested Atsushi Ozawa, 50, after identifying him through surveillance camera footage of the November incident, Asahi Shimbun reported.

The pigeon that was struck was pronounced dead by a veterinarian, with the cause of death reported as traumatic shock, per the outlet.

The police were alerted after a passerby saw Ozawa revving his engine as a traffic light turned green, before driving into the pigeons at around 37 miles per hour, per the Asahi Shimbun.

The passerby then called emergency services, per the outlet.

Tokyo police said they determined that the bird was killed intentionally, reported national broadcaster NHK.

According to the broadcaster, a defiant Ozawa told investigators: "The roads belong to humans, it is the pigeons who should dodge."

Ozawa is now accused of using "his car to kill a common pigeon, which is not a game animal," a police spokesperson said, per Agence France-Presse.

If found guilty, Ozawa would have violated Japan's Wildlife Protection, Control, and Hunting Management Act.

Police added that Ozawa is a professional driver, and thus should be held to a higher ethical standard on the road, per Asahi Shimbun.