COLDWATER, Mich. — A Jackson resident faces possible assault charges after authorities say he tried to kill two people in Branch County earlier this week.
Court documents say the incident happened in Union Township on Monday, Jan. 2.
Surveillance video of the incident depicts the suspect, Dustin Sprague, hiding inside the garage when one of the victims and his 3-year-old child leave their home, according to the Branch County Prosecutor’s Office. The suspect proceeds to attack the victim from behind before authorities say the video cuts out.
We’re told another camera later shows the suspect kicking in a door and chasing the second victim, tackling him, and stabbing him outside the home.
Deputies dispatched to the scene reported finding several people on the ground, some of whom claimed one of them was armed with a knife, court documents state.
One man suffered cuts to his face and head while the other required emergency open-heart surgery and was taken to a hospital in critical condition, according to court documents.
Authorities say the suspect, identified as Dustin Sprague, was taken into custody.
One of the victims reportedly claimed Sprague aimed for his throat, cutting his face instead. We’re told he received stitches for his injuries. That man told investigators that Sprague used to work for him but was fired in 2021.
During an interview, court documents show Sprague told investigators he thought he had been followed by one of the victims the night before the incident. He also reportedly claimed to have been threatened by the second victim and that the second victim was stabbed by somebody else.
We’re told Sprague is on bond for a domestic violence case outside of the county and was previously convicted of second-degree home invasion.
Sprague faces two counts of assault with murderous intent as well as one count of first-degree home invasion.
