LOVELAND, Colo. — A 20-year-old man was arrested after randomly attacking two people with a hammer and knife at a Loveland tanning salon Tuesday evening, seriously wounding one of them, the Loveland Police Department said Wednesday.
Kyle Mathew Behrens was booked into Larimer County Jail and faces several charges, including two counts of attempted first-degree murder.
The attack occurred around 7 p.m. at Endless Summer Tanning, 1518 Madison Avenue.
Police said Behrens entered the business and allegedly attacked a 21-year-old employee with a hammer, causing serious injury.
Police said the employee was struck in the head with a hammer more than a dozen times and dragged into a side room.
After the initial attack, police said the suspect tried to barricade the front entry. This gave the 21-year-old victim a moment to flee into a nearby room with a customer, where she called 911.
After the victim called 911, Behrens allegedly broke through the door and assaulted both the customer and the employee with a knife, according to police.
Moments later, as the victims fought back, they managed to disarm the suspect. Working together, they pushed him out of the room, according to police.
Officers arrived during the attack and apprehended Behrens.
Both victims were transported to the hospital for serious injuries. Police did not provide updates on their current conditions or prognosis.
Medical personnel treated Behrens before he was booked into jail.
Police praised the victims for their courage.
"When the suspect attempted to get into that room, the victim fought, and the additional victim began to continue that fight, and the two of them worked to not only disarm the suspect, but then to fight for their lives while initiating a call to 911," said Chris Padgett, a spokesperson for LPD. "So, if there's any credit that we can give these two victims, unbelievable, they are alive today because of their will to survive."
Police said the suspect is known to be transient and formerly resided in the Longmont area.
They believe the attack was random, as the victims and suspect did not know each other.
"As far as we know now, the salon has not had any encounters with the suspect. The suspect is not known to the employee who was attacked, nor is he known to the customer who was attacked," said Padgett.
In a post on Facebook, the Loveland salon praised the victims for their "unimaginable bravery, strength, and instinct to survive."
"No one should ever experience what happened inside our walls last night, but the courage, compassion, and unity that followed is something we will carry with us forever," the Facebook post read.
Behrens remains in custody on a $500,000 cash-only bond.
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