On June 24 at approximately 2 p.m., a man and his dog were sitting in front of the AMPM market at 332 Pico Blvd.
For no apparent reason, a suspect walked up to the man and began yelling and cursing at him. The suspect then lunged at the man and began punching him repeatedly in the face.
The man's dog, a pit bull, stood up as his owner was being attacked. The man was concerned his dog my bite the suspect, so he began pulling back on the leash. As he did this, the suspect kicked the dog. The suspect then grabbed the man's backpack and threw it across the parking lot.
When the man yelled at him, the suspect picked up his skateboard and held it over the man, as if he was going to strike him with it. The suspect then got on his skateboard and rode away.
Officers responded to the area and located the suspect nearby at Lincoln and Pico boulevards. The suspect denied being involved, but surveillance video confirmed he was the person who assaulted the man and his dog. The suspect was then taken into custody.
Lavelle Dupree Barker, 35, of Bellflower, was held on $30,000 bail.
Note: Crime Watch is culled from reports provided by the Santa Monica Police Department. These are arrests only. All parties are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
