FRESNO – An 18-year-old and 16-year-old were arrested after a homeless man was attacked and his dog killed earlier this week.
The 45-year-old victim was walking through the parking lot of the Mosqueda Community Center around 9:45 p.m. on Monday when he came across Alejandro Alfredo Lopez, 18, and two juvenile males, all believed to be gang members, officers said.
For reasons unknown, the encounter with the teens turned violent. The suspects surrounded the man, began yelling out their gang name and then started punching the man. They also threw beer bottles at his head and kicked him, authorities said.
The suspects then discovered the man’s small dog, named Snoopy, who was hidden in the victim’s backpack. The suspects repeatedly kicked the dog until it died, authorities said.
The victim escaped the scene and flagged down a police officer who was stopped at a traffic light down the street. Police tracked down Lopez and a 16-year-old suspect, who has not been identified.
The suspects are being held on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and cruelty to animals.
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Fresno Bee: Homeless man beaten, dog kicked to death
