Ax-wielding man accosts pair in Lakewood, documents say

Two people driving to Joint Base Lewis-McChord on Monday were accosted by a man swinging a large ax at them, according to charging documents.

The 53-year-old Lakewood man was arraigned Tuesday afternoon on two counts of second-degree assault and one count of lying to a public servant, and his bail was set at $100,000.

According to charging documents:

The two people, still visibly distraught and shaking, flagged down a Lakewood police officer and yelled about a man with an ax following them.

The officers saw a speeding car drive by, matching the victims’ description, so they pulled it over.

One officer watched the car’s passenger hide something in the car.

Once he approached the car, he saw the silver handle of an ax sticking out.

He asked the man for his name, and received an alias in return. (The man has an active Department of Corrections warrant, as does the driver.)

The two victims told Lakewood officers they thought they were going to die when the man approached their car while yelling and swinging the ax. They couldn’t go forward because the ax-wielding man’s car was in the middle of the road, so they instead put their car into reverse and fled.

The man hopped into that car’s passenger seat and pursued the car.

The man driving the ax-wielding man around told police he was coming to get him after a nervous breakdown. He said the ax-wielding man often acts violently and cannot control his anger.

Half an hour after the incident, the two victims were still shaking.

This story was originally published May 16, 2017 at 8:46 PM with the headline "Ax-wielding man accosts pair in Lakewood, documents say."