Suspect's name released in machete attack on UA property

Ashley Pettey
Ashley Pettey

Police arrested a homeless man Thursday night in connection with a machete attack on University of Arkansas at Fayetteville property, said Capt. Matt Mills with the university police department.

Ashley Kyle Pettey, 36, of Fayetteville was arrested in connection with first-degree and second-degree battery and aggravated assault after police said he used an 11-inch machete with a serrated blade on top to strike at three other people Thursday night, according to a preliminary report released Friday.

The incident started when people confronted Petty about his campsite in a wooded area north of 1032 S. Razorback Road, telling him he had to move his campsite to avoid attracting attention, according to the report.

Pettey refused, an argument started, and he began attacking with the machete, hitting one person in the neck and the other in the neck and arm, according to the report.

"Victim One had to have his neck sutured by a trauma surgeon at the Emergency Room" to prevent him from bleeding to death," the report stated. The other victim's injuries were not characterized as life-threatening.

Pettey was treated injuries to his left eye, according to the report.

Mills confirmed Pettey is homeless, and police believe so far the victims also are homeless, he said. The investigation is ongoing, Mills said.

Police have not released the victims' names. The names are part of the active investigation, Mills said.

Pettey was arrested after he was released by the hospital, Mills said. He was taken to the Washington County Detention Center, according to the report.

Pettey has not yet been booked into the jail at 10:45 a.m., according to jail records online.

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