A Mobile man is recovering at USA Medical Center after being slashed multiple times with a machete during a domestic dispute, an attack so severe that the responding police officer chose to rush him to the hospital in her own patrol car rather than wait for paramedics.
The attack happened on Emogene Street, where a Mobile police officer on routine patrol came upon the victim around 9:45 p.m., severely bleeding from wounds to his head, leg and back. Mobile Fire-Rescue was dispatched to the scene and arrived within about six minutes, but the officer determined the victim could not afford to wait that long.
She loaded him into her patrol car and drove him directly to the hospital herself. Blood from the victim’s injuries was later visible on the exterior of her patrol vehicle outside the emergency room.
The officer has been identified as Margo Andrews, who was previously the patrol partner of fallen Mobile Police Officer Justin Billa. Fellow officers credited her quick read of the situation with making the difference for the victim.
“With her training and experience, she realized the type of bleeding this subject had. It was easy to get him to the hospital versus having to wait for medical to arrive on the scene,” said Cpl. LaDerrick Dubose of the Mobile Police Department.
While the victim was being rushed for treatment, investigators remained on Emogene Street working to track down the person responsible. Police say the suspect was the ex-boyfriend of the victim’s girlfriend, and that the attack stemmed from a domestic dispute between the two men.
Officers were able to corner the suspect in a wooded area behind Emogene Street, but he refused to come out, triggering a standoff that stretched on for nearly four hours. Mobile police brought in a SWAT team, crisis negotiators, a K-9 unit and a drone to help locate and monitor him while a safety perimeter was established around the area.
Around 1:40 a.m., Mobile police confirmed during a live update that the suspect had been taken into custody without further incident.
The suspect was identified as 24-year-old Michael Walker. He has been charged with first-degree assault in connection with the machete attack, along with a probation violation tied to an earlier guilty plea for beating his ex-girlfriend.
The victim remains hospitalized at USA Medical Center as he continues to recover from his injuries.
About the charge and the officer
First-degree assault is a Class B felony in Alabama. It generally involves causing serious physical injury with intent to do so by means of a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument. A charge is an accusation, and Walker is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Officer Justin Billa, Andrews’ former patrol partner, was shot and killed in the line of duty on Feb. 20, 2018, while helping officers apprehend a suspect.
