Redondo Beach Man Charged with Assault, Hate Crime

LOS ANGELES, CA — A 42-year-man has been charged with assaulting two people in Torrance while hurling racial epithets, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced today.

Dennis Aaron Wyman (dob 6/1/78) of Redondo Beach faces two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, a car, and one count of hit-and-run driving resulting in serious injury to another person with the special allegation that the alleged crimes were hate crimes.

Arraignment was scheduled today but continued to tomorrow in Department 4 of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Torrance Branch. Case YA102230 was filed on July 10.

On June 29, Wyman reportedly began yelling racial insults at a small group of African Americans in a parking lot before getting into his car and driving it toward one of the victims, prosecutors said. When one of the victims’ father arrived to aid them, Wyman continued his insults, struck him with the car and fled the scene, prosecutors added.

Bail is scheduled at $115,000. The defendant faces a possible maximum sentence of 12 years in state prison if convicted as charged.

The case remains under investigation by the Torrance Police Department.

About the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office
Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey leads the largest local prosecutorial office in the nation. Her staff of nearly 1,000 attorneys, 300 investigators and 800 support staff members is dedicated to protecting our community through the fair and ethical pursuit of justice and the safeguarding of crime victims' rights.