A Marietta man was arrested after allegedly assaulting a man with a hammer at a local storage facility. At first, police thought the attacker was the victim.
Saul Higuera Jimenez, 22, is charged with aggravated assault and criminal damage to property after police said he attacked a man with a hammer and used the same hammer to damage a turkey fryer and a desk with a glass top alleged to be worth a combined $1,300 on the afternoon of Sept. 25.
Chuck McPhilamy, spokesperson for the Marietta Police Department, told the MDJ Jimenez had delusions about a kidnapped person being held in a unit inside the Public Storage facility at 1679 Cobb Parkway South.
McPhilamy said officers arriving at the scene thought they were dealing with a damage to property incident, but they subsequently received more 911 calls reporting a man suffering from stab wounds. When officers responded to the scene, Jimenez had three stab wounds, leading them to believe he was the victim of the alleged crime.
“The story is incredibly confusing,” McPhilamy said, adding that the man Jimenez is said to have attacked with the hammer stabbed the alleged assailant in self-defense.
As police responded to the storage facility and began rendering first aid to Jimenez, McPhilamy said, 911 calls were coming in of a man covered in blood walking down Cobb Parkway. After another group of officers apprehended the man with bloodied clothing and ordered him to the ground before handcuffing and bringing him back to the storage facility, they learned he was a good Samaritan who had attempted to step in to stop the alleged attack by Jimenez.
“While that was happening, the man with the stab wounds (Jimenez) started attacking the officers that were trying to help him,” McPhilamy said. “He wrapped his arms around the officer’s leg and began aggressively trying to remove the officer’s gun from his holster.”
Officers tased Jimenez as he attempted to remove the officer’s firearm, McPhilamy said, before handcuffing him. The victim of the alleged attack was near the storage unit when police arrived and was treated at the scene for his wounds, McPhilamy added.
“By the time the dust settled, the person that we thought was the victim was actually the suspect, he was the same individual with a hammer,” McPhilamy said. “He had attacked the true victim with the hammer and physically injured that individual.”
According to Jimenez’s arrest warrant, the man he attacked with the hammer suffered an injury to his right forearm.
Jimenez is being held without bond at the Cobb Adult Detention Center. Another warrant lists charges of removing or attempting to remove a weapon from a public official and obstruction of justice.
According to court records, Jimenez was previously arrested in June 2021 and charged with battery for striking his stepfather at a baby shower.
“This is an excellent reminder of situational awareness, that not everything is as it seems,” McPhilamy said. “If the police are called to a scene, even though you may have been there and it’s clear in your mind exactly what’s happening, it may not be clear to the incoming first responders who the actual victim is and who the suspect is, and it may take a few minutes for us to determine that.”
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