The Bankers Hill, San Diego man whose life was threatened and car chopped by a machete-wielding attacker spoke exclusively to NBC 7 San Diego, describing the sheer terror he experienced that night.
After 11 years in the Navy, Avery Marble has some war stories to tell -- but this violent attack is particularly difficult for him to explain.
He says he stopped at a friend's house on the 2200 block of Brant Street Sunday night when a stranger came outside through the front door with a machete and began making threats using racial slurs.
“The N-word has no power anymore," Marble said. "People use it everyday, everywhere, for every person, place or thing, but when he said it, I guess he was trying to offend me,” Marble said.
More concerned with the machete, Marble forgot the barbs and dodged the blows.
“He was really was trying to get me. He swung. I heard the wind go by,” Marble said.
Marble says the man flattened his left rear tire and smashed the rear window. The impression made in the shattered glass is unmistakably that of a large blade.
“Don't get cut, get out of the way, whatever is going on with him has nothing to do with you,” Marble said, describing what was going through his mind.
Marble and his constant companion Shimsee, a pit bull, ducked in the car and called for help.
The attacker left when he heard the call for help, Marble said. When police searched the house, the suspect was nowhere to be found.
Marble said he had no warning, no way to defend himself and no idea why or who was trying to kill him with a 2-foot long machete.
“If I had a reason, I would feel better," Marble said. "Maybe if I cussed at him, one day I would feel better, but there's absolutely no reason whatsoever."
Not knowing why weighs much heavier on him then his fear of seeing the suspect again, he said. He has seen the man before in the neighborhood prior to the incident, he said. San Diego Police (SDPD) investigators say they know the suspect's name, but he has not yet been arrested.
“A person like that should not be on the street, they shouldn't be walking around,” Marble said.
Marble is on a disabled veteran’s pension. He has established a gofundme.com page under Avery Marble to help pay for car repairs.
Though the attacker may still be on the loose, Marble says he knows life must still go on.
Replacing his split tire is just the beginning.
Photo Credit: NBC 7