LAUREL, Md. (AP) — Police in suburban Washington are investigating an apparent animal cruelty case involving seagulls that officers say were lured with popcorn and then run over with a vehicle.

The Laurel Police Department said at least 10 seagulls were killed Saturday in a shopping center, The Washington Post reported.

Police said someone emptied a bag of pre-popped popcorn, "intentionally luring" the gulls, and then ran them over. Witnesses were urged to contact police.

Laurel is about halfway between Washington and Baltimore on the Patuxent River, which flows into the Chesapeake Bay.