AUSTIN, Texas — A man accused of using a machete to attack a security guard in Downtown Austin remains in jail as court records reveal new details about the attack.
In an affidavit obtained by KVUE, the Austin Police Department (APD) received a call about an urgent shooting/stabbing on the evening of Monday, Aug. 21, at the Austin Proper Hotel.
APD was told the suspect was wearing a green shirt and had a machete in his backpack. That's when officers found 36-year-old Justin Bergin walking down Nueces Street with blood on his hands, leg and T-shirt, according to the affidavit. Bergin was also allegedly found rolling a purple suitcase with a black knife exposed.
"He became belligerent, making some threats, even threatened to kill the security guard. They walked out. He grabbed a jar, tried to attack the security guard with a jar, was unsuccessful there," said Sgt. Joe Swann, the vice president of the Austin Police Association.
According to the affidavit, Bergin, who was not staying at the hotel, got into an altercation with the security guard. As the security guard escorted Bergin out, Bergin grabbed a glass candle from a table outside of the hotel before he was grabbed by the guard and dropped the candle. That's when Bergin allegedly swung the machete at the guard's face, who used his left forearm to block the attack.
The hotel provided APD with surveillance footage of the attack, which allegedly showed Bergin swinging the machete down at the guard's head.
"It went about two-thirds of the way through. The security guard's arm severed his ulnar nerve and his radial artery with an arterial bleed. You can bleed out in two minutes," Swann said.
APD officer Thomas Tuminelli managed to apply a tourniquet to the guard's bicep in an effort to stop the bleeding, which the Austin Police Association claimed saved the guard's life.
Bergin was arrested and has been charged with Aggravated Assault with Deadly Weapon in the alleged attack. Records show Bergin also faces two other felony charges in two other incidents, including Harassment of Public Servant. He remains jailed on all three felonies with bonds totaling $40,000.