Suspect accused of using umbrella during assault in Lowell, Mass.

LOWELL, Mass. — A man is accused of using an umbrella to assault his neighbor and the neighbor’s dog after the umbrella-wielding assailant took exception to the four-legged friend barking at him outside their apartment building.

John Caron, 69, of Belvidere Heights in Lowell, is charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, with the dangerous weapon identified by police as the umbrella.

Caron is additionally charged with assault and battery on a person over the age of 60.