Man Charged with Attempted 1st Degree Murder in Duluth Grocery Store Attack; Victim Remains Hospitalized
Complaint says the attacker used a hammer to severely beat 81-year-old man; Victim says he never saw the man before.
UPDATE (May 28, 11:10 a.m.)—A 43-year-old man has been charged with premeditated, 1st degree attempted murder in the assault of a man at a Duluth grocery store last Friday.
Meanwhile, police said Tuesday the victim is in stable condition with significant head injuries.
In a criminal complaint filed Tuesday morning, the attacker is identified as Lance Alexander Tolbert. The complaint says he lives in Duluth, with no known address.
The complaint says that before shopping that morning, the 81-year-old male victim had gone into the restroom at the Mount Royal Market.
Duluth Police have identified the victim as Bradley French.
Tolbert allegedly came out of a bathroom stall and began beating French with a hammer, hitting him first near the top of his head.
At one point, French was able to get the hammer away from Tolbert. The victim told police the attack stopped when another person came into the bathroom. French says Tolbert then grabbed back the hammer and left the store.
According to the complaint, French said he had never seen or met Tolbert before, and that no words were exchanged before the attack.
The victim’s injuries included a skull fracture, a broken bone in his hand, a puncture wound and multiple lacerations.
Within fifteen minutes of the attack, a man matching Tolbert’s description was found walking away from Mount Royal on Wallace Avenue. He was wearing hunting-style insulated camo overalls, protective shin pads and “what appeared to be blood on his knee areas.”
The complaint says Tolbert had a hatchet hanging from his belt that also appeared to have blood on it.
The complaint says Tolbert declined to make a statement when he was arrested.
The next day, police found Tolbert’s jacket, and in the pocket they “found a hammer covered in what appeared to be blood.”
UPDATE (May 27, 2:10 p.m.) — Duluth Police have released the name of the 81-year-old man who was attacked at the Mount Royal Market Friday morning.
The victim’s name is Bradley French and police say his condition is unknown at this time.
ORIGINAL POST:
DULUTH, Minn. — An 81-year-old man is in the hospital with “significant head injuries” after being attacked with a weapon at the Mount Royal Market Friday morning, according to Duluth police.
Duluth police responded to the assault around 8:50 a.m. at the supermarket on the 1600 block of Woodland Avenue.
When officers arrived, they found the man in a bathroom.
A 43-year-old Duluth man was later arrested in the area of Wallace Avenue and 7th Street after police said he fled the scene.
The suspect is being held at the St. Louis County Jail on preliminary charges of Attempted 1st Degree Murder. FOX 21 does not normally name suspects until they are formally charged.
As of 12:15 p.m., police did not know if the victim and suspect are known to each other.
The weapon used is under investigation.
The condition of the victim was last reported by authorities as unknown.
