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LOVELAND, Colo. -- A grandson was in jail Wednesday after being accused of beating his grandmother with a hammer.

Loveland police arrested Danial Adams and he faces serious charges, including attempted murder. But his mother said there's a bigger issue at hand: His mental illness.

Amanda Johnson, Danial Adams' mother, said her heart is shattered because she’s caught in the middle of an unthinkable tragedy. On Tuesday night, her son reportedly attacked his 73-year-old grandmother inside the Loveland home where the two were living.

“She was sitting on the couch. He came around the side of the couch and he hit her, here with a hammer,” Johnson said as she pointed to the center of her forehead.

“The rest I couldn’t hear because I couldn’t imagine anyone feeling that kind of terror and to have it be your own grandchild,” Johnson added.

She said she’s not sure what might have triggered Adams but said he has been suffering from mental illness for years.

According to Johnson, at age 16 her son was diagnosed and treated for bipolar disorder. She said eventually he stopped going to treatment and gave up on the prescribed medications. She believes what happened Tuesday stems from her son’s disorder.

“Danial was telling bizarre stories that he thought happened to him,” Johnson said.

She said the out-of-character behavior became more prevalent in the weeks before the attack.

“I don’t know what it was, but it was like he wasn’t there. It was something else. It wasn’t him. He would pace up and down the streets,” she said.

Johnson said she has known her son has needed help but without him agreeing to get it, she felt her hands were tied.

“They said to me twice, until he hurts himself or somebody else, there’s nothing that we can do. And this is what happens. This is what happens,” she said.

Criminal defense attorney Sarah Schielke of Life Liberty and Law in Loveland said there are limits to what health officials can and can’t do, but it’s hard to know for sure what options were available in Adams' case.

“The law does permit a 72-hour institutionalization can be forced if certain factors are satisfied. If they are a danger to themselves or others,” Schielke said.

Johnson said her mom is in pain but is expected to be OK. She plans to contact the public defender’s office on Thursday and hope somehow her son will finally get the help she says he needs.