BREMERTON, Wash. (AP) - A Washington state man was charged with a felony assault after police say he attacked his roommate believing he acknowledged being a vampire.

Kitsap Sun reported Monday that a Kitsap County court charged the 40-year-old Bremerton man Monday after he was suspected of using a metal rod to nudge his roommate in the chest.

The roommate told county deputies that the suspect accused him of being a vampire, threatened to kill him and struck him with a metal rod.

The roommate says he feared his life because the suspect has severe mental health issues and is physically larger.

The suspect's brother told deputies the roommate jokingly said "Is that what the kids are calling me these days?"

Authorities say the suspect believed the roommate acknowledged being a blood-sucking creature.

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Information from: Kitsap Sun, http://www.kitsapsun.com/