An Oregon man attacked a gay couple with a wrench while they were walking their dog, according to police.
Twenty-two-year-old George Mason, Jr., has been arrested for allegedly attacking David Beltier while he walked near a busy intersection in Hillsboro with his boyfriend, Jeremy Mark, and their standard poodle, Beauty.
The couple says they were targeted because they had just dyed Beauty bright pink.
‘You know, we’re just walking our dog, we’re trying to have a good time, we’re just enjoying the fact that we dyed our poodle pink,’ Beltier told KPTV, describing the moment that led up to the attack.
Suddenly, a man driving an SUV pulled up next to them and started yelling homophobic slurs while making fun of their dog.
‘He was saying, “Your poodle is a weird color and that’s just un-American” and “f*** you, you f**s” and shouting,’ Mark said.
Beltier said the man then got out of his car and hit him with his hand, then returned to the car, grabbed a wrench, and struck him in the back of the head with the tool.
The man then jumped back into his car and peeled off, but not before one of many witnesses took down his license plate number.
Beltier was not seriously injured and no skin was broken during the incident, though he suffered a bump on the back of his head from where he was struck with the wrench.
Victims: David Beltier (right) was struck in the back of the head by the assailant while he walked with his boyfriend, Jeremy Mark (left)
Puppy dye: The couple says they were targeted because they had just dyed their standard poodle bright pink
‘I’m very relieved I’m not hurt,’ Beltier said. ‘I could be passed out or close to dead if he hit me hard enough.’
Police used the license plate number to track down Mason and booked him into the Washington County jail.
He’s facing a number of charges including assault, intimidation and unlawful use of a weapon.
‘It just really hurts to know people are out there still like that,’ Beltier said. ‘Who cares if my dog is pink. It’s not their dog. So leave me alone.’
