Man Pleads No Contest in Attacks Over Cat’s Name

A Canoga Park man pleaded no contest Wednesday to misdemeanor battery and was ordered to perform 100 hours of community service for attacking two women because their cat’s name was a racial slur.

Keovan Thompson, 26, also was placed on probation for two years after he entered the plea, which is the legal equivalent of a guilty plea.

Van Nuys Municipal Court records indicate that Thompson became incensed at a West Hills dinner party Nov. 10 when told the name of the black cat belonging to the two hostesses.

Thompson is black and the women, Laura Freed, 32, and Suzanne Lissette, 21, are white.

“The dinner party obviously became ugly at this point,” said Ted Goldstein, spokesman for the Los Angeles city attorney’s office. “Thompson became angered and irate. There was an exchange of words and then he became violent.”

He choked Freed and then grabbed a kitchen knife and lunged at Lissette, cutting her forehead slightly, Goldstein said.

Both women suffered minor injuries, and Thompson was arrested as he drove away, police said.

In return for Thompson’s plea, Judge Kenneth R. Freeman dismissed two other charges against him--assault and displaying a weapon in a threatening manner.

If convicted of all three charges, Thompson could have been sentenced to 18 months in jail, Goldstein said.