The case of a man who allegedly assaulted a woman in a dispute over dogs in the Old Fourth Ward Park earlier this week was sent to state court Saturday following a brief hearing.
Louis Rivera, 53, waived a preliminary hearing, asking an Atlanta judge for a low bail so he could get out of jail. The judge set his bond at $5,000 and required Rivera stay away from the park and keep his dogs leashed at all times.
The judge also ordered Rivera to stay away from the victim in Monday’s incident.
The woman, who asked not to be named, said she and a friend were at the park with their children when Rivera told them to find somewhere else to play because he and his two unleashed dogs were there first.
Rivera allegedly began arguing with the women when one began recording the encounter on her phone. Rivera knocked the phone out of her hand and walked off before the woman could call police, according to a police incident report.
The video went viral on social media sites, helping Atlanta Police find Rivera and arrest him on charges of simple battery.
The judge said another jurisdiction has an arrest warrant out for Rivera, according to a Channel 2 Action News report on Saturday’s hearing. Atlanta police cited him in 2011 for not having his dogs on a leash when they attacked a woman and her dog in another city park.
Rivera is due back in court in 10 days.
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