Dog park assault injures 72-year-old man in Maricopa

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Bob Klein needed five staples to close a laceration on his head after an altercation at the dog park. Submitted

Police are seeking a man who allegedly pushed a 72-year-old man to the ground at the Copper Sky Dog Park in an altercation Saturday.

Dr. Bob Klein of the Villages was walking a small dog in the dog park at around 10:30 a.m. Two small children, reportedly against Klein’s warning, approached to pet the dog, which then nipped at them.

Maricopa Police Department spokesman Ricardo Alvarado said that led to an argument between Klein and an adult male accompanying the children. The argument ended with Klein being shoved down and hitting his head on the concrete, causing a laceration at the back of his head.

The suspect then left with the children.

Though Alvarado said Klein refused medical treatment at the scene, he later went to Chandler Regional Medical Center, where the wound apparently required five staples.

Klein’s wife Colleen was shopping in Chandler at the time of the incident but told him to go to the hospital in case he had a concussion. She said her husband described the suspect as a white man in his 30s or 40s, 6-foot-2 to 6-foot-3, and 240 pounds. He had several tattoos on his neck including “111.”

Medical staff determined Klein did not have a concussion. But his family wants the suspect apprehended.

His son put out a plea on YouTube.

A city sign posted at the entry to the park warns that dogs may behave unpredictably around small children and asks adults, “Please do not bring children under the age of 12 into the dog park.”

Colleen Klein said that is what escalated the argument between her husband and the man with the small children.

Anyone with information on the identity of the suspect is asked to call Maricopa Police Department, 520-568-3673.

A portion of the sign at the Copper Sky Dog Park.
A portion of the sign at the Copper Sky Dog Park.