Police: Lowell man charged with assaulting victim with golf club

LOWELL — A 39-year-old Lowell man was arrested and charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury after police said he allegedly used a golf club to strike another man in the head on Sept. 5.

Bunton Sak was arrested the day of the attack, which took place in the 700 block of Merrimack Street and which left the 48-year-old victim with serious injuries, according to Lowell Police Superintendent Mark LeBlanc.

Police reports available in Lowell District Court documents state Sak admitted to striking the victim with the golf club, but that he did so in self defense.

Police were notified of the alleged attack by a witness who contacted 911 around 5:50 p.m. that day. During the alleged assault, the victim sustained a bleeding head wound, while the suspect ran off.

According to court documents, Lowell Police Officer Alec Golner said he spotted a man — later identified as Sak — who matched the suspect’s description walking in the North Common moments after the alleged attack. Golner approached and stopped Sak, who acknowledged to the officer that he had struck a man with a golf club.

“Sak advised he did not even know (the victim) but the victim was ‘talking (expletive)’ to him,” Golner said in the court documents. “Sak stated (the victim) said he was going to ‘call people to come get me.'”

According to court documents, Sak told Golner he picked up a golf club “in order to defend himself” and struck the 48-year-old “as he was coming at him.” Court documents state Sak was with a 30-year-old woman who substantiated Sak’s story, claiming the alleged victim was the aggressor.

According to court documents, the victim was taken to Lowell General Hospital’s Main Campus where he was being treated for a brain bleed. Despite the injuries, he was listed in stable condition, talking and alert, according to court documents.

The victim provided a much different story about what happened, telling police he was hanging out with Sak, talking about changing a tire, “and out of nowhere he was struck in the head,” court documents state.

“(The victim) did not give a reasoning for the assault but said Sak was talking about people disrespecting him,” court documents state.

At the scene of the alleged crime, police recovered a golf club driver broken into two pieces. The club head, which was sitting on a step leading up to 780 Merrimack St., was smeared with blood. The shaft of the golf club was found laying in the front yard of a neighboring home.

Sak was arraigned in Lowell District Court by Judge Daniel Crane on Monday and released on $1,000 bail. As part of his release, Sak was ordered to stay away from the victim and is not allowed to possess any weapons. He is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 5.

Follow Aaron Curtis on Twitter @aselahcurtis.