2 Women and a Service Dog Killed in Penn. Machete Attack: ‘Callers Reported Screams, Visible Blood,’ Police Say

Two women and a service dog were killed and a third woman was critically injured during a machete attack in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

The victims were attacked on the sixth floor of the Hotel Jermyn Apartments on Tuesday, Dec. 9, WNEP, WVIA News and Cleveland 19 News reported, citing the Scranton Police Department (SPD). The surviving victim, a 66-year-old woman, suffered severe injuries, authorities said.

“Callers reported screams, visible blood, with one caller identifying herself as a victim. Many patrol officers arrived very quickly,” Police Chief Thomas Carroll said during a press conference, per WVIA News.

Police arrested a suspect, Michael Woods, after he allegedly tried to flee the scene. He was seen wearing blood-stained clothing and holding a bloody machete, Lackawanna County District Attorney Brian Gallagher said at the press conference, according to WNEP.

Gallagher identified the two women who were killed as a 61-year-old and a 59-year-old, and confirmed that all three women — as well as Woods — lived in the apartment building.

Security footage allegedly shows Woods, 38, leaving his apartment and “walking down the hallway with a machete” before the attacks, Gallagher said, per WVIA News.

“This was a gruesome, reprehensible and senseless act of violence where three women and a service dog were attacked,” Gallagher added. “The vast majority of this incident, the vast majority, is all on video surveillance, and it is horrific to watch.”

Detectives also described the surviving victim’s injuries, saying, per WVIA News, “The female’s hand was almost completely severed from her arm, and she suffered from a severe chest wound from an apparent stabbing.”

Woods allegedly told investigators he had smoked the hallucinogenic drug phencyclidine (PCP) earlier in the day, WVIA reported. Gallagher said that detail has not yet been confirmed as the investigation continues, according to the outlet.

Authorities have not disclosed the relationship, if any, between the suspect and the victims.

Woods has been charged with two counts of criminal homicide, two counts of aggravated assault, one count of attempted criminal homicide and one count of aggravated cruelty to animals, according to Cleveland 19 News and WVIA News.

He is being held without bail in the Lackawanna County Prison and is due for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 23.