69-year-old man assaulted after dog dispute. Police in California say they arrested the attacker.

A 69-year-old man in California was assaulted while walking his dog at a local middle school. Now, police say they have caught the alleged attacker. 

The victim saw a large white and black husky walking in the area without a leash. The dog seemed to be owned to a young male that was jogging and kicking a soccer ball in the area, according to Irvine police. 

The dog approached the victim aggressively, causing him to pick up his dog, police said. 

Minutes later, the husky approached again, and the victim lost control of his dog’s leash. The dogs began fighting, and the victim tried to separate them, according to police. 

While trying to defend his dog, the unnamed victim was struck in the head from behind by the male he saw earlier who was jogging, according to police. 

The suspect then left the area with the dog, but the victim took a photo of him first. The victim went to the hospital for treatment. 

That photo, which police released to the public, resulted in multiple tips. Officers then arrested Kevin Quiroz, 23, in connection to the assault.  While police initially thought that the assault might have been a hate crime, they have dismissed this theory at this time.  

Evidence linking Quiroz to the assault was found at his home, according to police. Detectives also found an unloaded rifle in Quiroz’s vehicle, which is unrelated to the case.

Quiroz was booked at Orange County Jail on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and elder abuse.

Authorities are also checking to see if Quiroz was in lawful possession of the rifle at the time of his arrest. Additional weapons charges will be requested if appropriate.