Irving Man Attacks Five Men With Machete at North Oak Apartments

IRVING, Texas - A 46-year-old man faces five felony charges after Irving police say he attacked and chased a group of men with machetes outside a North Irving apartment complex, injuring two of them.

Elmer Antonio Ramirez-Romero was arrested Aug. 30 and charged with five counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. His bonds total $750,000, and he remains in custody at the Dallas County Jail.

Irving police responded around 5:01 a.m. to a report of a man with a weapon at the North Oak Apartments in the 1400 block of North Nursery Road, near East Grauwyler Road.

Officers contacted five men who told police they had been standing outside the apartments when Ramirez-Romero approached them and began arguing with the group.

According to the preliminary investigation, Ramirez-Romero produced a machete that was still in its sheath and struck one of the men in the upper back, causing a visible injury.

The other men managed to disarm him, but police said Ramirez-Romero then pulled out a second machete. This one was unsheathed.

Investigators said Ramirez-Romero began swinging the machete with the blade pointed toward all five men, causing them to run.

One of the fleeing men was grazed on his left forearm by the machete, leaving a cut. Ramirez-Romero continued chasing the group while armed with the machete, causing the men to fear for their lives, according to police.

During the confrontation, one of the men dropped his cellphone. Police said Ramirez-Romero picked it up before fleeing toward his apartment.

The victims gave officers Ramirez-Romero's location and described him as a bald Hispanic man wearing a white Real Madrid jersey who appeared to be bleeding.

Officers approached the apartment with their guns drawn, knocked and identified themselves as police. A man who identified himself as Ramirez-Romero's roommate answered the door and allowed officers inside.

Police found Ramirez-Romero inside wearing the white jersey described by the victims. Officers also observed what appeared to be fresh blood stains on the shirt.

Ramirez-Romero was arrested and taken to the Irving Jail.

Officers subsequently found three machetes inside his room, including the unsheathed machete used in the initial attack underneath his sleeping bag, according to police.

Ramirez-Romero was later transferred to the Dallas County Jail, where he remains in custody. Jail records also list an immigration hold from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with the hold described as "Illegal Alien."

Records show that Ramirez-Romero is originally from Central America and has been in the United States for more than 10 years.