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Inset: Charles Cooper (Polk County Sheriff’s Office). Background: A Missouri middle school where Charles Cooper allegedly attacked a driver who hit his dog (Google Maps).
A dog owner in Missouri is accused of assaulting a man who accidentally hit his dog with a car, following the incident to a middle school basketball game.
Authorities report that the dog owner used a metal flashlight to strike the man and repeatedly punched him in the parking lot, while making threatening remarks like, “I want to hear you cry” and “I’m going to make you bleed.”
According to court documents, Charles Cooper allegedly told the 21-year-old victim, “You made my dog bleed internally, now I’m going to make you bleed internally,” during the assault.
Cooper is also reported to have said, “Go ahead and cry. I want to hear you cry,” as he continued the attack.
The incident took place at Pleasant Hope Middle School in Polk County. The victim had stepped outside for fresh air during a basketball game, feeling frustrated with the way the game was progressing, according to a probable cause statement.
“Charles was standing next to the road in front of the school and began approaching him and yelling, ‘You hit my dog and ran away,’” the statement alleges. “[The victim] stated he hit something with his car on the way to the game, however, he did not know it was a dog.”
Cooper was allegedly wielding a metal flashlight and used it to attack the victim and knocked him to the ground. Cooper continued to beat him after he fell and told him, “You hit my dog and ran away,” according to the probable cause statement.
Witnesses told cops that they saw the alleged attack unfold while entering the gymnasium during the basketball game. A woman who witnessed the beatdown “stated she began yelling at [Cooper] to stop, to which the male responded, ‘No, he hit my dog,’” according to police.
The victim suffered multiple injuries and was hospitalized. Cooper was charged with first-degree assault by “attempting to cause physical injury to another person under the influence of sudden passion,” according to the court documents. He was also charged with armed criminal action.