Arkansas Machete Attack: 2 Injured After Machete-Wielding Man Comes Unhinged

An Arkansas machete attack near a university campus injured two men and the suspect.

Fox News reports that the incident took place around 7:15 p.m. at the University of Arkansas. University spokesman Steve Voorhies says no one involved is believed to be a student, and campus operations weren’t affected by the machete attack. One of the victims is reportedly in critical condition. The suspect was also taken to the hospital and then arrested, university police Capt. Matt Mills says.

Evidence was collected and interviews were conducted at the hospital late Thursday night. Mills didn’t reveal if there was a motive for the Arkansas machete attack, and the victim’s identities haven’t been released. KFSM 3 identifies the suspect as Ashley Kyle Pettey, 36. The machete-wielding man attacked the two victims east of Razorback Road and south of Martin Luther King Boulevard.

Apparently, Pettey set up a campsite, and the two victims told him to move as to not draw attention in the wooded area. An argument ignited, and Pettey pulled out a machete with an 11-inch blade. He swung the machete several times at the two men, hitting them in the neck, according to the police report.

The victim in critical condition had his neck sutured by a trauma surgeon in an effort in preventing him from bleeding to death. The second victim also had sutures placed in his neck as well as his arm, but his injuries aren’t considered life-threatening. Pettey injured himself in his left eye after the confrontation. He was treated and taken to the Washington County Detention Center.

Pettey is being charged with first- and second-degree battery and aggravated assault. Police say there’s no threat to the public. None of the individuals involved in the Arkansas machete attack are linked to the university.

Witnesses reveal that they noticed a man running into the street with a cloth wrapped around a wound and asking for help. They also noticed a man holding a machete who ran into the surrounding woods.

The Razorback Road area is the location of a homeless camp. The land near the campus is leased by the University of Arkansas. In January 2015, the body of a homeless man was found, and police arrested another man in the case. The victim died after he was involved in a fight.

The Arkansas machete attack wasn’t related to students or faculty members, but it was still alarming for everyone on campus.

[Photo Credit: Commons Wikimedia]