Sahib Singh Natt was attacked last week and spit at by 18-year-old Tyrone McAllister and his 16-year-old juvenile friend in Manteca, California.
McAllister, the son of Union City Police Chief Darryl McAllister, and the juvenile have been charged with attempted robbery, elder abuse and assault with a deadly weapon.
On Friday, younger McAllister entered the courtroom and flipped his middle fingers to a cameraman. He then dropped his hands before throwing up his middle finger a second time, Sacramento's FOX 40 reported.
He appeared to be grinning, and made suspected gang signs while his hands were cuffed, the report added.
Younger McAllister appeared in the court for his arraignment. No bail was set for the teen.
The attack on Natt during his morning walk was captured by surveillance cameras and showed the two teenagers beating the old man while dressed in hoodies. One, who was wearing a black hoodie, was brandishing a gun.
Investigators were still looking into whether the attack meets the legal criteria for charging a hate crime, the report said.
"As to whether it was just a crime or a hate crime, I'm of the opinion that at this point, looking at the videos, that it's just a crime committed by some young people," Bobby Bivens, president of the Stockton branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People, was quoted as saying.