TORRINGTON, Conn. — Two Torrington women were severely beaten Sunday and a suspect was arrested, according to police.
The alleged assaults had police calling in backup, even from the fire department.
Torrington Police said it all started Sunday when a woman walked into the lobby of the police headquarters to make a report of a domestic violence incident. She left before speaking to anyone, so police responded to the alleged address of the incident.
Police found Martin West, 52, of Torrington at his home on Victoria Street.
According to the warrant, West used a frying pan, chair and his fists to assault the two women. The elderly woman suffered life-threatening injuries but is now in stable condition. The bond for West was set at $500,000.
“Party has blood all over his hands. Locked the door. Won’t let us in,” said a responding officer in a dispatch audio call.
West was arraigned Monday from his hospital bed.
The arrest warrant for West describes how he “grabbed a frying pan that was hanging in the kitchen.” He allegedly struck an 80-year-old woman four times in the head. According to the warrant, her “eyes were nearly swollen shut.”
“An elderly woman walked out. She had serious physical injuries to her face. She was bleeding everywhere,” said Torrington Police Officer Jeff Buzzi who responded to the call.
Police rushed the woman to safety, as West, who police said briefly walked out of the house naked ran back in and tried to barricade himself. He was then confronted by quick-thinking officers.
“He met us at the door and tried slamming the door on us. At that point we were able to grab onto him, bring him outside, lower him to the ground, and put him in handcuffs,” explained Buzzi.
Police said West allegedly set a fire intentionally inside the home. However, the flames were quickly extinguished before they spread. Inside, police found items thrown across the residence, blood stains, smashed alcohol bottles, the bathtub overflowing, and knives sticking out of the wall above the bed.
“It is a red flag for the state that we are dealing with the same domestic violence victim over and over,” remarked the state’s attorney in court.
West is known to the police.
“He’s known to have mental issues so when we responded to the scene we kind of knew what was going to happen. Not to that extent obviously,” said Buzzi.
West has an alleged history of drug, alcohol, and mental health issues. He was served a protective order against his two victims according to officials.
During the hearing, West expressed concern about getting his art supplies out of his studio.
“I have my studio in that house and it’s going to take a minute to get my stuff out of my studio. If you just give me 15 minutes I would like a different plan,” West said to the judge.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness month. Police are encouraging victims to not be fearful about reporting incidents. Call 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) or text 88788.
Doug Stewart is a Senior Digital Content Producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dstewart@fox61.com.
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