MARGATE, Fla. — A 36-year-old man is accused of repeatedly attacking his sister with a machete inside the bedroom of a Margate home and asking her, “Why aren’t you dead yet?” as she suffered severe injuries, according to police.
The suspect, identified by Margate police as Ruben Altidore, was arrested Monday, investigators said.
Home surveillance video exclusively obtained by Local 10 News on Tuesday captures screams as a woman flees from Altidore, who police say chased her with a machete. Another woman is seen holding a child as the injured woman runs to a neighbor’s home seeking help.
Police said the video shows the woman, who was bleeding heavily, ringing the doorbell before collapsing. They said the victim was covered in blood and had numerous large cuts on her legs and hands.
They said a cousin of the victim told investigators that Altidore struck his sister with a machete. Officers then took Altidore into custody, according to his arrest report.
Investigators said while conducting a protective sweep of the home, they found a large amount of blood inside the victim’s bedroom that trailed into the hallway, to a bathroom door and then outside the home.
Police said they found a machete sheath in the kitchen and recovered a machete with what appeared to be “red smudges” beneath a bed in a bedroom.
According to the arrest report, while being transported to a nearby hospital, the victim told an officer that Altidore struck her several times with a machete.
The report states that she said Altidore told her, “Oh my God, why aren’t you dead yet?” during the attack.
Investigators said the victim suffered a 10-inch wound that reached the bone on the back of her right thigh, a four-inch laceration to the back of her right hand with the possible amputation of at least four fingers, a near amputation of her left index finger and thumb, and a cut to her left palm with a near amputation of her left thumb.
They said the victim’s 1-year-old daughter was lying in bed during the attack. The girl was not physically injured but was covered in the victim’s blood, according to investigators.
Neighbors told Local 10’s Roy Ramos that they heard the victim screaming after she ran outside following the attack.
“She ran to the middle of the street and then ran to my front door where she was asking for help,” said neighbor Luis Pereria. “Apparently she was sleeping when this all happened. I was just baffled by it. How can you do that?”
A motive for the attack remains unclear at this time.
According to jail records, Altidore faces one count each of attempted felony murder, aggravated child abuse and violation of probation.
As of Tuesday evening, he was being held without bond at the Broward County Main Jail.
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