Police Arrest Suspect In L.a. Golf Club Attack That Brutally Injured A Sikh Man, 70

A bum man was arrested successful relationship pinch nan convulsive battle of a 70-year-old man successful North Hollywood, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said Tuesday.

Richard Vitagliano is accused of attacking Harpal Singh connected Aug. 4 pinch a play club. Singh was connected his regular locomotion adjacent Sikh Gurdwara of LA erstwhile he was beaten pinch nan club.

After nan attack, LAPD officers were told to beryllium connected nan lookout for nan suspect, McDonnell said, arsenic they received a image of nan man from surveillance cameras connected Monday. Later that night, nan alleged assailant was taken into custody successful North Hollywood.

Vitagliano, a known unhoused personification successful nan area, has an extended criminal grounds related to drug, battle and weapons charges, McDonnell said.

The LAPD main said, contempt nan unfortunate being a personnel of nan Sikh community, nan onslaught was not a dislike crime.

“(It) was motivated by a conflict complete spot belonging to nan victim,” McDonnell said. “The North Hollywood bid will beryllium conducting other patrol successful nan area pursuing nan incident and will proceed to prosecute nan organization to talk nationalist information and reside immoderate different concerns.”

The Sikh Coalition, however, issued a connection questioning whether that determination tin beryllium made yet, since nan fishy was only precocious arrested and nan unfortunate is incapable to beryllium interviewed.

“I americium grateful to perceive that nan constabulary person arrested a fishy for nan horrific battle of my brother, but we request to amended understand this onslaught and why it is not being considered a dislike crime,’’ Singh’s brother, Gurdial Singh Randhawa, said successful a connection released by nan coalition.

“Justice must beryllium served, and our section Sikh organization must cognize that nan area astir our gurdwara -- wherever we stitchery to worship, learn, connect, eat, and service others -- is safe for all.’’

The conjugation besides said: "Fundamentally, we do not judge this incident tin beryllium definitively declared not a dislike crime aft specified a short investigation.’’

Vitagliano remained astatine Van Nuys jailhouse arsenic of Tuesday aft being booked for nan complaint of battle pinch a deadly weapon.