Two Coast men charged with assault, alleged victim has ‘life-threatening’ injuries

Two men have been charged with aggravated assault and a third man, who suffered life-threatening injuries in an alleged attack, is being investigated for animal cruelty, after a weekend fight that covered two locations in Biloxi.

Matthew Bolton, a 35-year-old from Biloxi, and Austin Delano, a 29-year-old from Gulfport, are each charged with aggravated assault, according to the Biloxi Police Department.

The incident began around 11:20 p.m. Friday in the 1700 block of Beach Boulevard, according to Biloxi police, who responded to a fight involving two suspects. By the time officers arrived, both individuals had left the scene. It was later determined that the fight involved Bolton and the victim of the alleged assault. The initial investigation found that Bolton and the victim fell down a flight of stairs during an altercation. Police believe Bolton then pinned the victim to the ground while punching him in the abdomen. Police also believe the victim was thrown face-first into a wall before the fight was broken up.

Police believe the cause of the initial fight was derogatory comments made by the victim towards an individual that was with Bolton and Delano.

According to police, the fight then resumed at a private residence on Floyd Drive in Biloxi. There, police say Bolton and Delano each assaulted the victim. Police say Delano held the victim in a chokehold while Bolton punched and kicked him. It is during the course of that attack, police say, that the victim purposely crushed a Husky puppy. After that, Bolton and Delano are said to have continued the assault on the victim.

The victim of the attack was able to leave the residence and reach a neighbor just before 1 a.m. Saturday to call for help. The victim was covered in blood and said he had been in a fight and had severe abdominal pain. He was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries a short time later.

The puppy died at the home on Floyd Drive.

The alleged assault victim, who is facing a charge of aggravated cruelty to a dog, was not arrested at the time of the fatal attack on the dog because the victim suffered life-threatening internal injuries and is still undergoing treatments.

The case remains under investigation.