Texas man strikes officer in head with machete during arrest, police say

In East Texas, a man created chaos, allegedly engaging in a confrontation with law enforcement officers and injuring one officer with a machete before being apprehended.

Texarkana, Texas, Police Department received a report around 10 a.m. Saturday regarding a suspicious individual at a McDonald’s on New Boston Road. The caller described a man armed with a machete and a whip at the fast-food restaurant.

Upon arrival, officers encountered 32-year-old Kevin Neal walking down the street a few blocks away from McDonald’s. Allegedly, Neal brandished the machete at the officers and refused to surrender it.

Despite attempts to de-escalate the situation using a JPX pepper gun and a non-lethal bean bag, Neal persisted in wielding the machete and advancing down the street. Authorities trailed Neal on foot until they were able to subdue him in the 2700 block of Texas Boulevard.

During the struggle to apprehend him, Neal purportedly struck one of the officers in the head with the machete before being successfully detained.

Neal faces charges of evading detention, resisting arrest, and aggravated assault. After receiving medical clearance at the hospital, he was booked into the Bi-State Jail.

Fortunately, the officer injured by the machete sustained only minor injuries and was discharged from the hospital following treatment.