ATLANTA — Two men were arrested after one attempted to slash people with a machete at Piedmont Park on Thursday, according to Atlanta Police.
The victim said to police that a random man approached his group of work friends at the park. At first, the victim said everything was alright, but eventually, the man became angry, verbally harassing and being aggressive towards women in the group.
He, and others from his group, escorted the man away, the victim told officers, but he returned 20 minutes later with two other men - one holding a machete.
According to the police report, the men were yelling, "I'm going to kill y'all," and then attacked the group, swinging the machete towards them.
The group told police they grabbed "any objects they could, tree branches, mace and other objects, in an attempt to fend off the attack."
Officers were called to the park around 8:37 p.m. once there; bystanders helped direct police toward the suspects.
"This incident continued until only a few moments before other officers, and I arrived on the scene," Officer James Douglas with Atlanta police said.
APD said they saw the first suspect and yelled at him to show his hands and stop walking, but he didn't. Officers said they tased him, tackled him and placed him in handcuffs. Police said they found the machete sticking out from underneath him.
While they put him in handcuffs, police said they found the other suspect and arrested him without any issues.
Officials said since a taser was used, they checked for any injuries, but neither taser dart hit the suspect. Grady EMS cleared him, and both suspects were driven in a patrol car to Atlanta Police Public Safety Headquarters to be interviewed by investigators regarding a similar case.
APD said the two men were charged, a 52-year-old man with aggravated assault and disorderly conduct, and a 43-year-old man with aggravated assault and possession of a knife during the commission of a felony.
