Man Suspected In Hammer Assault On Woman Captured

COLUMBUS, Minn. (AP) - A man wanted for beating a woman with a hammer was captured after an extensive search by land and air of some woods in Anoka County.

Sheriff's Commander Paul Sommer says a passer-by discovered a car in the ditch along a road in Columbus about 7:00 a.m. this morning.

The witness told authorities the man in the vehicle had beaten the woman with a hammer and that she was covered with blood.

The male suspect fled.

First responders took the 25-year-old woman to Regions Hospital.

Sommer says she is expected to survive the assault.

A State Patrol helicopter and a search dog helped deputies and Lino Lakes officers look for the suspect who had fled into some woods.

He was captured after a search lasting about three hours.