W. Michigan man vanquishes intruder with replica battle ax

David Boroff | New York Daily News

A West Michigan man used a replica battle ax to thwart an intruder who interrupted an episode of “Rick and Morty.”

Ben Ball had been watching the adult animated science fiction show and playing video games when his Oshtemo Township home was broken into on Wednesday night.

The suspect, identified by Wood TV as Alex Rawls, knocked on the door multiple times before kicking it in, according to the station. Ball said he grabbed his ax because he believed the assailant was armed.

“There was a bloody mess everywhere,” Ball told Wood TV.

Ball struck Rawls in the stomach, and the intruder fled. Police would later apprehend Rawls.

The 33-year-old Rawls spent the night in the hospital before being taken to jail, officials in Kalamazoo County told the TV station.

Ball, who works at Applebee’s, says he has a lot of experience with the weapon, which he uses in “ritualized combat,” according to Wood TV.

“I’ve got a double-headed carbon steel battle ax that was homemade by a gentleman who has since passed. That’s what I call my baby,” he told the station.