MARYSVILLE – Marysville police arrested a 19-year-old transient man Tuesday night in connection with a hatchet attack earlier this month that left a man with multiple skull fractures.

Police on March 2 were called at about 11:40 p.m. to the Taco Bell at 616 State Ave. where they found the 32-year-old victim.

He had walked into the parking lot bleeding profusely from head wounds, telling witnesses that he was struck in the head with an axe at Totem Middle School across the street, Sgt. Pete Shove said.

The victim said he met a man and woman on State Avenue. After they walked to the school, he was reaching into his backpack when he was struck in the head by a hatchet.

Police went to the public asking them to help identify the perpetrators.

Acting on a tip, detectives were able to confirm the identities of both suspects, and gained probable cause for an arrest in the brutal assault and robbery, Shove said.

With help from the Marysville Police NITE Team, Everett Police Gang Unit and Proactive Patrol Team, the suspect was located on Evergreen Way at about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The suspect, who had a felony warrant from the state Department of Corrections, fought with officers before being taken into custody, Shove said. He was found with a second hatchet stuffed down the front of his pants, and now faces new charges in Everett for drug-related crimes and resisting arrest.

The man was booked into the Snohomish County Jail on counts of first-degree assault and first degree robbery.

The teen woman who was with the suspect was questioned by police, then released, while detectives continue to investigate.

Detective interviews after the arrest yielded more details about the attack. The woman, who was unknown to the victim, had run into him at a business on State Avenue, saying she was trying to find the suspect.

The victim went with her on foot, where they found the suspect, then decided to go to the school campus to use drugs.