Man Held on Hate Crime Charges
Federal hate crime charges have been filed against a Sun Valley man who allegedly turned his Rottweiler dog on an African American man at a neighborhood service station.
Prosecutors said Rick L. McConnell, 37, shouted racial slurs as the snarling dog came within inches of biting Robert Lee Gable on March 8 at a self-service station on Sunland Boulevard.
Gable was not bitten, but authorities said McConnell shattered his car’s windshield with a beer bottle.
McConnell appeared before a magistrate in Los Angeles federal court Monday and was held in lieu of $25,000 bond.
He was indicted Thursday on two counts of interfering with federally protected activities. FBI agents arrested him without incident Sunday night. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.
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