John Doyle Bauer (Williamson County Jail)
HUTTO, Texas - An Austin man has been arrested for allegedly critically injuring a 79-year-old man in an "unprovoked and random" hatchet attack at a Hutto Home Depot last week.
41-year-old John Doyle Bauer has been charged with second-degree felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Timeline:
Hutto police say that at around 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 14, officers responded to the Home Depot in the 600 block of W. US 79 about an aggravated assault in progress.
Police learned that a man had attacked another inside the store with a hatchet, then fled before officers arrived.
The 79-year-old victim sustained critical, but non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to the hospital by Williamson County EMS.
The suspect, identified by police as Bauer, was found about 3.5 miles north near the intersection of County Road 119 and Chandler Road.
Investigators have so far found no known association between Bauer and the victim, leading police to believe this was an "unprovoked and random attack".
What's next:
Bauer was booked in the Williamson County Jail within about one hour of the initial incident and has been there since Aug. 14.
Bond has been set at $750,000 and Bauer has a court date set for Sept. 3.
Hutto police say this is an open and active investigation.
The Source: Information in this report comes from the Hutto Police Department and Williamson County Jail records.