Crime & Safety
Santa Cruz Dog Fight Escalates To Hate Crime, Assault
A man and a woman flung homophobic slurs and assaulted two men after their dogs got into an altercation, police said.
SANTA CRUZ, CA — Police in Santa Cruz are investigating an assault of a man walking his dog Saturday as a hate crime, officials said.
The victim and his male partner were walking their dog in the 100 block of Blackburn Street when their dog got in a fight with another dog that was being walked by a man and a woman, the Santa Cruz Police Department said in a statement.
The fight between the animals escalated into the man calling the victim a homophobic slur. The man and the woman then assaulted the victim before they fled the scene, police said.
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Officers were able to identify the suspects through surveillance video. Both were arrested and booked into Santa Cruz County jail on charges of assault, conspiracy, and violation of one's civil rights.
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