Irvine police are searching for a young man, possibly a teen, suspected of assaulting an older man when their dogs were fighting, police said this week along with releasing a surveillance video of the incident.
It was around 7 p.m. on Friday, March 19 when a 69-year-old man was walking his small dog at Sierra Vista Middle School, police said in a statement Monday evening.
The man saw a large Husky walking freely without a leash who appeared to be with the suspect, who was jogging and kicking a soccer ball close by.
“The larger dog approached the victim aggressively and the victim picked up his own dog to avoid conflict,” police said in the statement.
Shortly after, the Husky again approached the victim, who police said “lost control” of his own dog’s leash.
“The two dogs began fighting and the victim rushed to separate them,” police said. “While attempting to defend his dog, the victim was struck in the head from behind by the male that was seen jogging.”
Neither of the dogs was injured, said Irvine police spokeswoman Sgt. Karie Davies.
Surveillance video from the area shows the victim down on the grass while the suspect stood overhead. The suspect left the area with the dog.
Davies said witnesses reported that the suspect often walks his Husky in the area off the leash.
The victim was taken to a hospital for treatment, police said. He had a cut on his hand from it being stepped on, but no serious injuries, Davies said.
The suspect was described as a male possibly in his late teens. He was wearing a dark t-shirt over a white long-sleeved shirt, dark shorts over white leggings or shin guards, and black athletic shoes, and he had a white backpack.
Some social media posts have said the victim was of Asian descent, which raised the question of whether the incident was another case in a recent uptick of racially motivated violence. Davies confirmed the victim is Asian but said there was no definitive evidence the assault was racially motivated.
“Nothing racial was said during the attack,” Davies said, though police have not ruled it out.
“Until we can find (the suspect) and talk to him, we don’t know the motivation,” she said.
Police ask anyone with information to contact Detective Gavin Hudson at 949-724-7168 or GHudson@cityofirvine.org.
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