Video shows man slapping dead whale's fin after it washed up on Torrance Beach

TORRANCE, Calif. (KABC) -- Video shows the shocking moment a man slapped a dead whale that washed up on Torrance Beach over the weekend.

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.

A Fin whale roughly 35 to 40 feet in length was found inside the surf line near Torrance Beach, but the animal died before rescuers arrived.

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.