Michigan Hipster Uses Battle Ax to Fend Off Intruder

Wow. This is now my favorite news story of the week in Michigan.

According to WOOD-TV, a Michigan man armed with an awesome beard and a replica battle ax, fended off an intruder late Wednesday night. Enabling him to return to his video games and Rick and Morty TV show. After he cleaned up all the blood.

Ben Ball had to confront the intruder Wednesday night at his apartment in Oshtemo Township, just west of Kalamazoo. The suspect, Alex Lavell Rawls, was the ex-boyfriend of a former roommate of Ben's. Rawls allegedly knocked several times and then proceeded to kick the door in. Ben suspected the man was armed, so he picked up one of his several replica weapons - a battle ax. When asked for a description, Ben said, “I’ve got a double-headed carbon steel battle ax that was homemade by a gentleman who has since passed. That’s what I call my baby.” Some people would have merely threatened Rawls with the weapon. Not Ben.

According to WOOD-TV, Ben says, “(The) door opened, (I) grabbed the ax, (then) step, step, hit.”

The ax hit the intruder at least once in the torso and then the two started grappling in the apartment destroying the place.

“There was a bloody mess everywhere,” Ball said. 

A neighbor called 911. Police K-9s followed the trail of blood to apprehend Rawls, who spent the night in the hospital with substantial wounds before being transferred to the jail.

Here's the story. With video goodness (you have to watch the video) of Ben in his Star Wars t-shirt and the suspect's crazy tattoo - obviously inspired by the Great Seal of the United States on the back of the dollar bill.