The juvenile Fin whale, which officials estimated was about 51 feet long, washed up on the shore Saturday evening and died a few hours later. Before it was towed out to sea, a necropsy was performed to figure out exactly what caused its death.
Juvenile whale dies after washing up on Torrance Beach
As officials were preparing to remove the carcass, a man was seen disregarding the caution tape and running up to slap the whale's fin.
Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, it is illegal to touch whales - whether they're dead or alive.