Dog abuser beats Bronx man who objected with baseball bat: NYPD
A man brutally beat a good Samaritan in the Bronx who tried to stop him from choking a dog — and then crowed to cops about his baseball bat attack, prosecutors said Tuesday.
“I beat him! I beat his a–!” Rubin Bartley boasted after he was caught with the blood-stained bad after the attack Sunday afternoon on Third Ave. at E. 135th St. in Mott Haven near the Major Deegan Expressway.
A few minutes before the 3:45 p.m. attack, Bartley, 34, was seen choking a 1-year-old Doberman mix near the corner, cops said.
A 35-year-old animal lover — who was carrying a baseball bat — approached Bartley and demanded he leave the pup alone.
Bartley responded by punching the man and tackling him to the ground, police sources and prosecutors said.
During the fight, Bartley grabbed grabbed the dropped baseball bat and used it to beat the other man, cops said.
Bartley hit his victim in the face, head, chest and groin as he lay on the ground, according to prosecutors.
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Bartley soon walked away, leaving his victim bleeding on the sidewalk — but he wasn’t done yet, surveillance video located by investigators shows.
He returned to his victim and hit him in the groin one last time, the video shows.
When cops arrived, the bloody and bruised victim was unconscious on the street. He had lost several teeth and had suffered several deep gashes to his forehead, lips, nose and mouth.
EMS rushed him to Lincoln Hospital, where he has undergone multiple surgeries, prosecutors said.
Cops took Bartley into custody and charged him with attempted murder, assault, menacing, and other counts. It was not immediately clear if the dog that sparked the entire exchange belonged to Bartley or someone else.
The Doberman was not seriously injured. Police handed the animal to the Animal Care Centers of New York City for further care.
Bartley lives in Brooklyn, cops said. He was ordered held on $25,000 bail at his arraignment Monday. An email to the Legal Aid Society, which is representing Bartley in court, wasn’t immediately returned Tuesday.