Man wielding golf club and knife chases victim

Sgt. Brandon Rolfs with the Decatur Police Department said the 41-year-old suspect was threatening to “beat the victim’s (expletive) and kill him.”

Rolfs said the suspect swung the club at the 30-year-old victim but “narrowly missed” as the chase continued around 9:20 p.m. in the 400 block of West Wood Street. The male victim had earlier arrived at the apartments to visit a resident, and a female friend of the victim was waiting outside in the parking lot in a car.

Rolfs said the victim then dashed out of the building and made a break for the vehicle.

“The female witness described the victim running towards the passenger door of her car yelling ‘go, go, go’ as he is still being pursued by the suspect with the golf club,” Rolfs added.

“The victim then jumps into her car and she quickly sped off right as the suspect ran up on the vehicle and swung the golf club at it, but missed.”

Rolfs said the victim knew his assailant by the nickname “Woody,” a man who also lived in the apartment building. He had earlier described being accosted by him as soon as he entered the building but had no idea why he was attacked.

Rolfs said the victim, who had been armed with his own knife, had pulled it during the attack and used it to threaten his pursuer, who had then began to back off.

“The victim said he had then put his knife away at which point the suspect raised his golf club back up and began chasing after him again,” Rolfs added.

Police arriving to investigate the incident found the suspect was already under arrest after he had been implicated in another attack. Rolfs said police reports show a female victim was shoved down some stairs, and her assailant had been “banging on doors of first floor apartment units threatening to kill people.”

Rolfs said the suspect was briefly booked into the Macon County Jail and released with a notice to appear on preliminary charges of aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct and battery.

Rolfs said the man was “well known” to police because he has “struggles with alcohol” and a track record of conflicts with people in his neighborhood and the wider community.

All preliminary charges are subject to review by the state attorney’s office.