SALT LAKE CITY -- Father's Day turned frightening for a Salt Lake City grandfather. Police say his neighbor attacked him with a samurai sword.
The victim said 24-year-old Tasha Davis was arguing with her boyfriend and when the neighbor asked her to keep the noise down, he says she snapped and attacked him with a 27-inch samurai sword as he was walking his grandkids to the car.
It happened Sunday around 5 p.m. outside a four-plex near 1100 South and 400 East.
"And I walked around this side of the car, right here and I was opening the car door and that's when I heard her yell, ‘so you wanna go Barney?’” Salazar said. "And she had it (the sword) with one hand, then grabbed it with two hands and came at me. I had to block it and then grabbed her."
Salazar suffered a deep slash near his left elbow but managed to throw the woman to the ground. Fortunately, a police officer was passing by and the woman's boyfriend took action as well.
"Her boyfriend was able to intervene pretty quickly when she swung at the victim and he got her away from the sword," said Sgt. Robin Heiden of the Salt Lake City Police Department.
Davis is now in the Salt Lake County jail facing a potential attempted murder charge. Davis’ mother confronted Salazar about the incident.
She implied that Salazar turned his back on her daughter, figuratively speaking, by talking to FOX 13.
"How can I turn my back on someone who tried to chop me up with a samurai sword?" Salazar said.
He can't believe it happened in front of his 14-year-old granddaughter on Father's Day.
"That's sad. She's got problems. She's got problems," Salazar said.
He's grateful the injuries weren't worse. Salt Lake City police say it's an unusual event but when attacks like this have happened in the past, the injuries have been more severe.
Salazar is grateful he walked away from the attack with stitches.
