Disturbing new footage has emerged showing a career criminal chasing down a 71-year-old man before hitting him over the head with an axe.
Paleti Anikesi Veniale, 30, was caught on surveillance camera following the elderly man in a park on Federal Way, Washington, last December.
The video shows Veniale following his victim from a distance before quickly running up behind him with an ax before hitting him over the head.
According to prosecutors, the attack on the man was completely unprovoked and Veniale punched him several times, even after he had fallen to the ground.
Two days later, while searching for attempted murder in connection with the attack, officers shot Veniale.
Paleti Anikesi Veniale, 30, was caught on surveillance camera following the elderly man in a park on Federal Way, Washington, last December
The video shows Veniale following his victim from a distance before rushing up behind him with an ax before striking him over the head
The video shows chasing Veniale on foot as he crosses a busy road before turning around with a large knife in hand.
The two officers unleash a volley of bullets on the 30-year-old, who then falls to the ground, dropping the knife in the process.
According to CBS12Veniale had run away after the attack on the elderly man, who was taken to hospital with critical injuries to his head, face and chest.
The outlet reported there were fears the man would not survive, but he is now in a satisfactory condition three months after the horrific attack.
Veniale was charged with attempted first degree murder, with prosecutors citing his ‘extreme level of violence and extensive violent criminal history’.
Court documents seen by the outlet show Veniale had 19 warrants since 2012, when prosecutors raised concerns that he was at large.
Last April, he was arrested for assaulting an EMT worker after he allegedly punched them in the face without provocation in a hospital hallway.
He has also been repeatedly arrested for assaulting firefighters, police and health workers and strangers.
Veniale was charged with attempted first-degree murder, with prosecutors citing his ‘extreme level of violence and extensive violent criminal history’
According to prosecutors, the attack on the man was completely unprovoked and Veniale punched him numerous times even after he had fallen to the ground
The video shows police chasing Veniale on foot as he crosses a busy road before turning around with a large knife in hand
The two officers unleash a spray of bullets on the 30-year-old, who then falls to the ground, dropping the knife in the process
CBS12 said in 2017 he punched a passenger on a city bus, knocking out their teeth in another unprovoked attack.
Prosecutors also said Veniale had stabbed someone in the neck with a pencil before the attack on the bus.
After his attack at the hospital, he was ordered to be taken to Western State Hospital for psychiatric treatment.
Veniale was released after two months in the state hospital and back in jail for pending cases.
He was remanded in custody for two weeks before being released on December 18, just two days before he allegedly attacked the 71-year-old.
Veniale ran across a road to escape the police before he was gunned down two days after the hatchet incident
In a bizarre twist, one of the officers who shot Veniale in December had a previous encounter with him in May 2020.
Police encountered Veniale with a machete and a knife in a homeless camp, where he lunged towards them and began shouting while clutching the weapons.
Veniale was arrested after officers tased him and was charged with third-degree assault.
After he pleaded guilty to that charge, a judge ruled that the time he spent behind bars was enough and released him from custody.
In charging documents, prosecutors said: ‘The defendant is unlikely to comply with future court orders.
‘Additionally, the defendant faces a standard range, including the deadly weapon enhancement, of approximately 19.5 to 25 years for this charge.’
Veniale is currently in the King County Jail with his next court appearance scheduled for June.