Father Arrested in Hatchet Attacks on Saugus Family

A 7-year-old Saugus boy was in serious condition at a Newhall hospital Sunday after his father attacked him and his mother with a hatchet, authorities said.

The father, Randall Schroeder, 39, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and was being held without bail in the jail ward at Los Angeles County USC Medical Center.

Elizabeth Schroeder, 32, told sheriff’s deputies that the family was spending a quiet evening at home Saturday when she heard her son, Brian, scream. She said she ran upstairs and found her husband hitting the boy on the head with the hatchet, a Sheriff’s Department spokesman said.

Randall Schroeder turned the weapon on his wife when she attempted to stop the attack, the Sheriff’s spokesman said.

The mother said she was able to wrest the weapon away from her husband and hide it. But he soon found the hatchet and began to strike himself with it, Deputy Steve Lee said. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Schroeder called sheriff’s deputies.

The boy and his parents were taken to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Newhall. The parents were treated for minor cuts and released. The boy underwent emergency surgery early Sunday, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Elizabeth Schroeder told investigators she does not know why her husband attacked her or her son, the sheriff’s spokesman said.