TULSA, Okla. — A Tulsa man is in jail after police accused him of stabbing another man through the head with a flagpole. Authorities say it’s a miracle a man survived the attack.
Officers said they responded to the Sonic at Tulsa Hills shopping center around 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 2 for reports of a stabbing.
Police arrived to find a man with a flagpole through his head. The pole went in through the man's jaw and out of the other other side of his head near his right temple.
An American flag was attached to the pole, officers said.
“Like you’d see in a TV show or a horror movie, ran at him and stabbed him through the head,” said Officer Danny Bean with the Tulsa Police Department. “Went through the bottom and out through the other side.”
First responders had to saw part of the pole to fit him in the ambulance. He was alert and expected to survive, but will likely lose one eye.
The suspect surprisingly hung around after the incident and was arrested once officers showed up. The TPD Facebook post about the arrest lit up—many commenting about rising anger with rising temperatures.
“We always like to blame the weather—full moons, hot, cold,” said Bean. “There are always factors, for sure, but we don’t have numbers to suggest that’s why [it happened].”
Tulsan Tristen Catlin thinks the incident was mental health-related. She was turning into the Tulsa Hills shopping center over the weekend and saw, who she believes was Collins, with a flag in the basket of his bike.
“As we pull in, we just see him charge at the man who was sitting on the ground by the McDonald’s,” she said. “[He was] doing a stabbing action over and over and the guy stood up and was trying to get him to go away.”
Catlin was shocked to see on social media the same guy had allegedly followed through with what looked like a threat on Sunday.
Tulsa police say it appears this is an isolated incident and do not typically see a lot of violent crime in the Tulsa Hills area.
Officers arrested Collins on a maiming complaint. Maiming is when an assault results in permanent disfigurement or injury.
Maiming is a felony crime in Oklahoma that carries a punishment of up to life in prison.
Multiple witnesses identified Clinton Collins as the suspect and he was arrested.
Witnesses told police they heard Collins say, "That's what he gets. He deserved it."
Tulsa firefighters had to cut part of the flag pole for the victim to be able to fit inside the ambulance.
TPD tells us the victim will "miraculously" survive his injuries, but will likely lose an eye.
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