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Alix man attacked by machete-wielding home invaders

No threat to the public, police say
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An Alix man who was brutally attacked with a machete by home invaders questions how long it took police to respond to his emergency call.

But RCMP are disputing Brian Warman’s estimate of how long officers took to get to his house in the early hours of Nov. 1.

Warman said he was watching TV when he was surprised by two men entering his home, whose faces were partially covered by bandanas.

He thought it was a Halloween prank — until they demanded cash.

The 42-year-old works in construction and the oilfield, but also says he regularly smokes marijuana and supplies it to “friends.” Warman believes his home could have been targeted for an attack by drug addicts, who wrongly assumed he had stashes of money in the house.

He recalled telling the invaders to take what they wanted — there was some cash lying on the table.

But the two suspects demanded more and began beating him. One of the assailants took a collector’s machete down off the wall, where it had been displayed, and began hacking at him.

Warman said he was cut partway through his shoulder bone. The machete also sliced two toes off of one of his feet.

Despite his injuries, Warman followed the suspects as they fled and got a description of the “’90s-style” SUV they drove away in, after taking cash and other items from his home.

The victim woke his neighbour, who called 911. Warman said he waited an hour and 15 minutes for Bashaw RCMP and emergency services from Stettler to respond, “while I bled profusely on my neighbour’s kitchen floor.” He believes the ambulance was waiting for police before venturing into a home invasion site.

But according to Bashaw RCMP, officers responded much quicker. Detachment Sgt. Bruce Holliday said it took less than 50 minutes — although the response time might have been a bit shorter if police officers had been given better directions to the home. “There are two 49th Streets, north and south …”

After undergoing multiple surgeries at Red Deer hospital to his shoulder (his toes couldn’t be reattached), Warman returned home to discover his front door had been kicked in, and he was the victim of another robbery.

He’s now staying with relatives, concerned about returning to his house after this traumatic experience. Warman took issue with police for not sending out a release about this incident.

But Holliday said various decisions factored into this. He did not want to jeopardize the investigation and feels the public, in general, are not at risk.

Warman plans to install cameras and lights around his property before returning home.



lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com

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