Dennis RomeroWho knew froyo was so gangster?
Apparently, this guy did, because Pinkberry cofounder Young Lee was convicted today of giving a homeless guy the beatdown of a lifetime.
It was all over a tattoo, or so the story goes:
Young Lee was in his Range Rover with a lady friend when he pulled up to a light on Vermont Avenue near the 101 freeway on June 15, 2011, cops said. He spied a panhandler.
Lee, now 49, took offense to the shirtless man's belly tattoo, which depicted a doggy-style scenario, so he decided to beat him senseless with a tire iron.
See also: Pinkberry Co-Founder Young Lee Sued by Homeless Man.
(Said victim also took Lee to civil court).
The guy had to be hospitalized for a broken forearm and several cuts and had to be rescued by good Samaritans, authorities said. Lee then took off for Korea but was nabbed at LAX when he returned on Jan. 16 of 2012.
Lee is a former kickboxer who in 2005 cofounded the tart yogurt chain, modeled after South Korea's Red Mango, with partner Shelly Hwang. He's no longer involved in the company.
Credit: Shelly Hwang and Lee via Pinkberry
Pinkberry distanced itself from Lee after his arrest, saying “Mr. Young Lee has no involvement with Pinkberry.”
It took a jury a day to come to its conclusion, according to the District Attorney's office. It convicted Lee of assault with a deadly weapon with a special allegation of causing great bodily injury, prosecutors said today.
Lee is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 14. He faces up to seven years behind bars.
Now that's cold.
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