An elderly man became the victim of a brutal hammer attack inside a Duluth supermarket bathroom last Friday, officials said. Bradley French, 81, suffered a skull fracture and other injuries after he was mercilessly assaulted by a suspect in the Mount Royal Market restroom, as reported in a Duluth News Tribune article.
Duluth Police identified the suspect as 43-year-old Lance Alexander Tolbert, now charged with attempted first-degree murder. Wearing protective shin pads and camo overalls with suspicious blood stains, authorities nabbed Tolbert after a short manhunt near Wallace Avenue and East Seventh Street, FOX 21 reported.
During the unprovoked attack, French managed to wrestle the hammer away from his assailant, according to the criminal complaint filed Tuesday morning. The assault ceased momentarily when another individual entered the bathroom, which allowed Tolbert to reclaim the hammer and flee the scene. The victim later told police he had never seen Tolbert before, nor were words exchanged prior to the attack.
Police later recovered a bloodied hammer in Tolbert's jacket pocket, heightening the damning evidence against him. French, whose condition was last reported as unknown, is battling life-threatening injuries including a broken bone in his hand and multiple lacerations, the police stated. A hatchet, also stained with what appeared to be blood, was found hanging from Tolbert’s belt at the time of his arrest, contributing to the chain of circumstantial evidence around the harrowing event.
As Duluth authorities continue their investigation into the horrifying incident, Tolbert awaits judicial proceedings, with the community left reeling from the violence that permeated the everyday sanctuary of a local grocery store. Details regarding the motives behind the attack remain scarce, as the connection between the two individuals, if any, is yet to be uncovered.
