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Christo never reported the incident out of fear of retribution and retaliation, Gualtieri said. When he was released from jail on April 16, he contacted the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office internal affairs division, which found surveillance video after conducting an investigation, Gualtieri said.

Surveillance video shows three inmates wearing yellow uniforms and hairnets as they transfer waste from multiple trash receptacles into a dumpster. After one of the inmates tosses the cookie to the bird, he attempts to walk away from the area, but is stopped by a deputy, who then points to the ground.

The inmate then does several pushups as the deputy watches him before stopping to get into a plank position, seemingly out of exhaustion. The deputy then walks up to him and kicks him on his right side, after which he completed a few more pushups.

Christo told investigators that he was injured and felt as if he had broken a rib, but Gualtieri said there is no evidence of that.

\"PHOTO:
Pinellas County Sheriffs Office
PHOTO: A Pinellas County Sheriff's deputy was fired after he was seen on surveillance video kicking an inmate who fed a cookie to a bird.
>

The video left Gualtieri \"speechless,\" he said.

\"It is so ridiculous and it is outside the bounds and it is such misconduct,\" Gualtieri said. \"It’s one of the stupidest things I’ve ever seen.\"

Moran was \"immediately terminated.\" He was arrested Tuesday morning and charged with simple battery for kicking Christo, Gualtieri said. The other deputy, Matthew O'Neill, is currently under an internal investigation for failing to report the incident.

\"O’Neill should have come forward as soon as it happened,\" Gualtieri said.

Moran, 57, was released from jail Tuesday afternoon on $500 cash bond, online jail records show.

When Moran was interviewed, he told investigators that he \"didn't really kick him\" but rather \"nudged\" in an attempt to \"get him going,\" and that it wasn't the first time he has instructed inmates to do pushups, Gualtieri said. Moran has been with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office for more than six years, Gualtieri said.

Moran had one prior disciplinary incident in the past, Gualtieri said. The sheriff did not elaborate on the nature of the incident but said it was not \"serious.\"

Christo was considered a cooperative inmate, Gualtieri said, adding that he otherwise wouldn't have been permitted to participate in the worker's release program, which allows inmates to work time off of their sentences.

Gualtieri said the jail holds an average of around 3,000 inmates, and the sheriff's office has \"an absolute responsibility\" for their care, custody and well-being, adding that \"overall,\" jail personnel do that \"very well every day and respect inmates' rights.\"

\"Unfortunately, it’s another one of those situations where a deputy acted improperly, and he’s been held accountable for it,\" Gualtieri said.

ABC News could not immediately reach Moran for comment. It is unclear if he has retained an attorney.

ABC News' Rachel Katz contributed to this report.

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