On March 11 the eastside of Culver City experienced a little excitement. Lupe and Louis Torres were at the center of attention.
Their African Grey Parrot, Patches, had escaped from their home and was flying through the neighborhood.
“I was sitting in my living room and heard very strange noises, like a door creaking, phone rings, alarms,” said Stacey Finnin a local resident.
Finnin and her daughter Sally went to investigate. As they left their home, they were joined by other curious neighbors.
Michael Monagan, another community member remembered seeing a sign posted on the next street over.
“I went to see if there was a phone number to call. Sure enough Lupe and Louis were missing their bird. They were thrilled we had spotted him,” said Monagan.
A small crowd gathered on Fay Ave. Everyone wondering how the parrot would be captured. Patches had flown to the top of the trees that line the street.
“It was amazing. Patches was the first parrot I had ever seen. It was also the first time I’ve seen a community pitch in and help a family find their best friend,” said 10-year-old Sally Finnin.
Torres requested the help of Victor Garcia, a Time Warner worker. Garcia uses a van with a cherry picker and happened to have it at his home. He immediately drove over to the Patches’ location.
As the neighbors watched, Garcia made his way up to the bird. Unfortunately Patches was spooked and flew higher into the boughs.
“It made me sad when the family said he had never done this before; that he has never wanted to run away,” said the younger Finnin.
A call was made to the Culver City Police Department.
“First I called the fire department. I knew it was highly unlikely that they would send out a truck to help, but I had to do something for the Torres family,” said resident Hazel Jarrett.
“The administration offices were closed so I called the police station. They were incredibly helpful and dispatched animal control immediately,” said Jarrett.
By the time Officer Corolla Fleeger arrived Patches had flown toward his home.
“I let her know where Lupe and Louis lived. She drove over to their house to see if she could help,” said Jarrett.
“They would not stop at anything. I never knew somebody could care for their bird so much,” said Sally Finnin.
At the time of publication Patches was still on the loose.
