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An elderly man was able to fight off a home invasion attempt on Friday morning, facing off against an attacker wielding an unorthodox weapon.
The incident took place around 7:45 a.m. local time in Madison, Nebraska. According to the Madison County Sheriff's Department, the homeowner reported that a man approached his house on the 800 block of South Nebraska Street from across the street, with a samurai-styled sword in his hand, local station KCAU News reported.
The homeowner then moved to his garage where the man followed, trying to force his way into the house. The would-be home invader at one point struck the victim in the back with his sword. In response, the homeowner was able to grab a ball-peen hammer and hit the attacker on the head with it. This brought the violent affair to an end, with the man fleeing the scene.
Law enforcement officials later began carrying out a search, calling for public input and describing the blade-wielding suspect as a white male in his late teens with a blue hoodie.
At around noon local time the same day, the sheriff's department confirmed in a brief Facebook post that the suspect was found and brought into police custody.
Further details about the suspect emerged in a Friday night report from local station KTIV News. According to the outlet, police confirmed that the suspect is 22-year-old Ivan Saldana of Madison, who was arrested a few hours after the attack without incident. In carrying out the search for Saldana, sheriff's deputies and other law enforcement officials were able to track his movements using footprints in the snow that led away from the older man's house.
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Other details surrounding the attack remain unknown, including what might have motivated Saldana to alleged violence and what sort of charges he will now face.
Newsweek reached out to the Madison County Sheriff's Department for comment.
Another Incident of a Samurai Sword Being Used in an Assault
While unorthodox, samurai swords are not entirely unheard of as weapons used in assault cases in the United States. In October, a 29-year-old man was assaulted by another man in a New York City subway station using a samurai sword, though it was kept in its sheath during the attack.
Reports emerged in the aftermath of the incident that the attacker had allegedly been dressed as a ninja, but the New York City Police Department (NYPD) disputed this description to Newsweek. The NYPD said at the time that the suspect had reportedly been "wearing all black with a black baseball cap that had the Marvel comics logo on it."
About the writer
Thomas Kika is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in upstate New York. His focus is reporting on crime and national ... Read more