TOPPENISH, Wash. — A Washington state man is accused of attacking a convenience store clerk with a variety of weapons, authorities said.
Wesley Warren Friedlander, 43, of Toppenish, was arrested Sunday and charged with first-degree assault and carrying and drawing a dangerous weapon, according to Yakima County online jail records.
Toppenish police said Friedlander attempted to attack a worker at a Topp Stop convenience store, KIMA-TV reported.
Topp. police say man attacked clerk with Tomahawk, sword, knife, and nunchucks https://t.co/4n3K8d1FvB
— KIMA Action News (@kimatv) December 27, 2021
When police arrived, the clerk had pinned Friedlander to the ground, with several weapons on the ground nearby, the television station reported.
A spokesperson for the Toppenish Police Department said the weapons included a silver-and-yellow metal tomahawk with a wooden handle, a long 18-inch blade with a deer horn handle, a 12-inch serrated blade and a pair of blue-handled nunchucks.
The victim, who is also a security guard, told police that he saw Friedlander panhandling near the gas pumps of the convenience store. When the clerk told Friedlander to leave, he said the man became upset and opened a suitcase, pulling out the tomahawk, KIMA reported.
The clerk claimed Friedlander charged at him and swung the tomahawk at his head. The clerk was able to disarm Friedlander, but he returned to his suitcase and grabbed a sword, knife and nunchucks, demanding the return of the tomahawk, the television station reported.
The victim said he got Friedlander to put the weapons down and then tackled him while another employee called police, according to KIMA.
Friedlander is being held without bail, online records show.
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