GRAYSON COUNTY, Va. (WFXR) — A Virginia State Trooper is recovering today after he was attacked by man with a hatchet during a church service, VSP said in a statement.
The incident happened at a Troutdale church Sunday around 8:30 p.m. Virginia State Police say about 20 people were in the church in the 11000 block of Flatridge Road when they heard banging on the doors at the church’s main entrance. An off-duty Virginia state trooper opened the door and found a man and dog outside. The trooper asked if he could help and the man yelled back at him.
“It was at this point that the trooper observed the man was holding a hatchet,” Virginia State Police Public Relations Director Corinne Geller said in a statement. “As the trooper attempted to close the door, the man swung the hatchet and struck the back of the trooper’s hand. The trooper was able to close the door and directed the members of the congregation to immediately go to the church basement for their safety.”
The man and dog left the church after the attack. The injured Virginia state trooper helped worshipers to their cars.
“The off-duty trooper could hear the man yelling and howling from the woodline,” Geller said.
Virginia State Police responded to the church and looked for the man, described as a white man in his 30s with long, brown hair, about five foot 10 inches tall with a medium build. He was wearing a backpack and had a small, black collie mix dog. He may have been with an adult woman.
The injured Virginia state trooper suffered minor scratches to his hand and was treated at the scene. No one else was injured.
If you have any information on this attack, call Virginia State Police by dialing #77 or (276) 228-3131.
