A San Jose man suspected of beating two Morgan Hill teens in a
dispute over ownership of a pit bull puppy was arrested
Wednesday.
A San Jose man suspected of beating two Morgan Hill teens in a dispute over ownership of a pit bull puppy was arrested Wednesday.
Michael Gonzalez, 19, of San Jose, was taken to County Jail on charges of aggravated assault in connection with an attack Sept. 1 in a neighborhood park in the Sierra Park development.
“He was taken into custody at his place of employment without incident,” MHPD Lt. Joe Sampson said Thursday. “We have learned he is a martial artist, which is probably why he was able to inflict such damage on the victims.”
Officers were investigating whether Gonzalez may have used brass knuckles in the assault.
The incident was the result of a planned meeting to discuss ownership of a pit bull puppy, Sampson said. According to the victims, a 17-year-old Morgan Hill male and a 19-year-old friend, and witnesses who described the attack to police, Gonzalez and at least one other male suspect attacked them from behind while they were in the park talking to two 16-year-old girls about the puppy.
The two Morgan Hill boys were released from an area hospital after treatment of minor injuries.
The 17-year-old told police one of the girls had given him the puppy when her family told her she could not keep it; lately, he said, she had told him she wanted the puppy back, so they arranged to meet in the park to discuss the situation.
Sampson said when the victims and witnesses of the assault were questioned, their stories were identical, but when the girls were questioned, their stories differed from each other and from the version told by the witnesses and victims.
The second male suspect involved in the attack has not been located, Sampson said.
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. She can be reached by e-mail at md****@*************es.com or by phone at (408) 779-4106 ext. 202.
