PLEASANTON — Tri-Valley dog trainer Joshua Kaplan had already reported his client’s 71-year-old neighbor to police for alleged dog abuse, but authorities say he wasn’t finished there.
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Apparently, the alleged dog beating struck a chord. Kaplan, a 40-year-old Sunol resident, was determined to see the thing through, according to police. He allegedly drove his black pickup truck near the man’s home and waited. When the man attempted to leave his own home for an errand, Kaplan allegedly pulled up, blocking the drive way and told him the police were on their way.
It was this front yard confrontation that led to a Saturday shooting that nearly claimed the 71-year-old man’s life. Now, Kaplan is in jail facing charges of attempted murder, with bail set at $500,000, court records show. But court records show that after being shot in the face, the victim armed himself, and before the first shot, his car allegedly rammed Kaplan’s truck.
The attempted murder charge carries serious enhancements that could add to Kaplan’s sentence if he’s convicted. He’s accused of “intentional” discharge of a firearm during an attempted murder and elder abuse. Police described Kaplan as the holder of a concealed carry permit who had the right to bring his gun with him that day.
The conflict started when the victim’s neighbor, a client of Kaplan’s, sent Kaplan a video of the 71-year-old man allegedly beating his dog. Kaplan called animal control and reported the incident, and they told him to notify police, according to court records.
After filing the police report, Kaplan drove to the 3600 block of Vineyard Drive and allegedly blocked the driveway when the man attempted to leave. The man told Kaplan he’d talk to the cops when he returned from his errand, police said. An argument ensued.
It was then that a questionable thing happened: The victim would later claim that his vehicle somehow “suddenly lurched forward” and struck the man’s car. Kaplan allegedly responded by firing at him, striking him in the face. That’s when the man retreated into his house, grabbed a shotgun, and re-emerged, but no longer saw Kaplan’s truck where it had been.
As he stood on his front yard with the gun in hand, he was struck by a second volley of gunfire, police said. He reportedly suffered life-threatening injuries, but after a stay at the hospital was brought back to stable condition.
Kaplan is set to enter a plea on Aug. 7, and remains jailed in the meantime, records show.