CHICAGO (STNG)  -- A 49-year-old Northwest Side man has been charged with aggravated cruelty to an animal for allegedly throwing a kitten off a second-floor porch Monday because the animal scratched him.
 
Police were notified of the incident on the 3700 block of West Dickens Avenue about 5:10 p.m. Monday, according to News Affairs Officer Laura Kubiak. 

Witnesses told officers they observed the man hold a cat by the back of the neck and then throw it from the second-floor porch.

Police found the kitten, which is about 8 weeks old, lying in the street bleeding from the mouth and unable to move its hind legs, Kubiak said.

Wayne Evans of the 3700 block of West Dickens said he threw the cat because it scratched him.

Animal Control took custody of the cat, which suffered a broken pelvis, Kubiak said.