Man attacked 81-year-old with hammer in Duluth grocery store bathroom, charges say

DULUTH, Minnesota — An 81-year-old man is recovering from injuries after he was allegedly attacked by an unknown man in the restroom of a Duluth grocery store.

According to the indictment, the 81-year-old man told police that he came to the Mount Royal Market at 1600 Woodland Avenue with a friend on Friday morning. Before he started shopping, he went to the bathroom.

The victim stated that a man, identified in documents as 43-year-old Lance Tolbert, came out of one of the stalls and began attacking him with a hammer.

The man said he was able to wrestle the hammer from Tolbert, but the attack didn’t stop until another person entered the restroom. According to the documents, Tolbert grabbed the hammer again and left the store on foot.

Tolbert was found about 15 minutes later as he was leaving the grocery store. He was wearing winter boots, insulated hunting-style camouflage coveralls, a black T-shirt and shin guards. He also had an axe with him, according to documents.

According to the prosecution, he had bloodstains on the knee area of ​​his pants and on his hand and face. The next day, officers found Tolbert’s jacket with a blood-stained hatchet in the pocket.

The victim told police that he had never seen Tolbert before and that the two had not spoken to each other before the attack.

Tolbert is accused of attempted premeditated murder. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the victim’s condition is stable.