While filming the 2018 Netflix film 6 Underground with Ryan Reynolds, Michael Bay was accused of killing a pigeon.
According to TheWrap, after a dolly allegedly hit and killed a pigeon during filming a scene in the city of Venice, Bay might be charged with animal cruelty in Italy. Unidentified witness reportedly snapped a photo of the dead bird and informed Italian authorities of the event.
Since then, Bay has refuted the “false story,” reminding supporters of his status as a “well-known animal lover.”
“I am a well-known animal lover and major animal activist,” Bay said in a statement to TheWrap. “No animal involved in the production was injured or harmed. Or on any other production I’ve worked on in the past 30 years.
“We have clear video evidence,” Bay added, “a multitude of witnesses, and safety officers that exonerates us from these claims. And disproves their one paparazzi photo — which gives a false story.”
Authorities allegedly provided Bay a chance to resolve the situation, but he declined because doing so would have required him to admit to hurting the pigeon.
“I was offered by the Italian authorities a chance to settle this matter by paying a small fine, but I declined to do so because I would not plead guilty to having harmed an animal,” Bay explained. “There is an ongoing court case so I cannot get into the specifics, but I am confident we will prevail when I have my day in court.”