Man charged with throwing dog, beating brother at BBQ

A Salt Lake City man is facing felony charges for allegedly beating his brother and injuring the man's puppy while at a family barbecue on Memorial Day.

The 27-year-old was at his brother's house on the 500 East block of Cobblestone Lane (6915 South) when he got angry at the puppy for licking a plate of hot dogs on a table, according to charges filed Friday in 3rd District Court. He grabbed the puppy by the neck and threw him to the ground so hard that he yelped in pain and defecated, according to charging documents.

When his brother confronted him about the dog, the man yelled at his brother and backed him into a corner, according to the charges. He hit his brother, knocking him unconscious, but allegedly continued to hit him.

The man was out for up to 10 minutes and required reconstructive surgery for his injuries, which may leave him with permanent double vision or partial blindness.

The 27-year-old was charged with aggravated assault, a second-degree felony, commission of domestic violence in the presence of a child, a third-degree felony and cruelty to an animal, a class B misdemeanor.

whitehurst@sltrib.com

Twitter: @lwhitehurst