I normally don’t cover the police blotter, but , um… this:
Pinkberry co-founder beat homeless man with tire iron, LAPD says
One of the founders of the popular Pinkberry yogurt chain is accused by police of chasing down a homeless man and beating him with a tire iron.
The incident took place in June 2011 on an off-ramp of the Hollywood Freeway at Vermont Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Young Lee was stopped at a light when he was approached by a transient seeking money, police said.
Words were exchanged, and Lee and another man in the car chased the homeless man and “beat him down” with the tire iron, police Capt. Paul Vernon said.
Some questions, off the top of my head:
- What kind of interaction could occur between the owner of a successful, nation-wide chain of frozen yogurt shops and a vagrant that would cause the former to put his car in park, get out, remove a tire iron from the trunk, chase the vagrant down, and beat him with the tire iron?
- Was the tire iron in fact in the trunk, or was it just lying across Lee’s lap as he drove around town looking for bums to beat with it?
- Why is the tire iron such a commonly used tool for beat downs? What about it make people think, “You know what this beat down needs? A tire iron.” I’ve got lots of other stuff in my car that would be better for beating people with. But then again, not everyone is an avid collector of chains, golf clubs, and socks full of wood screws.
- One report said Lee “found the transient’s sexually explicit tattoo offensive…” Again, I’ve seen plenty of offensive tattoos, but none that make me want to chase down a homeless guy and wail on him with a part of my car. How much offensiveness can you cram into one tattoo?
- How can reporters call themselves professionals when they haven’t yet provided us with a picture of this tattoo? If I find one I’ll be back with an update, and if I’m smart, I’ll make it available to you in tshirt form.
I’ve never been to one before, but I know this much: any future visits to Pinkberry will take on a whole new flavor for me. Will I get a discount if I bring in my own pummeled transient?