Charges in Dog Attack Upgraded to Felonies
Felony hate crime charges were filed Tuesday against a white Long Beach man accused of setting his Rottweiler dog on a black man and threatening him with a loaded gun while yelling racial epithets.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Ellen Aragon said misdemeanor assault and hate crime charges originally filed against 30-year-old Patrick Hayday in the Jan. 16 incident were upgraded to felonies.
The unidentified victim, bitten three times, was standing on the southwest corner of the 7th Street and Central Avenue in Los Angeles when, authorities said, Hayday sicked the dog on him. Hayday then followed the man across the street while shouting racial epithets and allowed the dog to bite the victim again, authorities said.
At that point, witnesses told police, Hayday pointed a .40-caliber, semiautomatic pistol at the man, said Deputy City Atty. Vivienne Swanigan.
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