Ex-Suitor Holds Woman at Knifepoint, Current Boyfriend Stabs Him: Police

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A Royal Oak woman was held at knifepoint early Monday morning, allegedly by an ex-suitor who broke into her current boyfriend’s home and hid in a closet armed with a hatchet and knife, police said.

The woman, her current boyfriend and a friend noticed the back door to her boyfriend’s residence in the 1000 block of East Fourth Street had been kicked in when they arrived there about 3 a.m Monday.

Inside, they found zip ties, duct tape and “a lot of creepy, weird stuff,” neighbor Kevin Finney told WXYZ-TV. “They knew right away that was a red flag.”

As they were taking in the scene, ”the female victim’s ex-boyfriend suddenly emerged from a nearby closet and grabbed the female victim,” Royal Oak Police Lt. Dave Clemens said in a statement. “He held a razor knife to her throat and had a hatchet in the other hand.”

As the victim fought her alleged assailant, who hid his identity with a hooded sweatshirt and mask and wore rubber gloves, her current boyfriend armed himself with a knife and stabbed the suspect, Clemens said.

The friend who was with the couple called 911, then helped the woman’s boyfriend subdue the suspect. They were holding him to the floor when police arrived.

The friend, who was visiting from out of town described the fight as “horrific, like something out of a movie,” WXYZ said.

The suspect, who is 21, was transported to William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, where he was in stable condition Monday night. The woman did not require hospitalization, but was treated at the scene for minor injuries to her hand and neck.

The suspect doesn’t have a criminal history, and the victim told police he had never exhibited violence toward her, Clemens told The Daily Tribune. They dated briefly, but the relationship ended several months ago, police said.

The suspect, who is under police guard at the hospital, faces possible felony chages of unlawful imprisonment, home invasion and felonious assault.