An Austin man is accused of attacking a 78-year-old man with a hatchet at a Home Depot in Hutto, according to an arrest affidavit.

John Bauer, 41, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony, punishable by two to 20 years in prison. Bauer and the victim did not know each other, said Abby Fenton, a spokeswoman for the city of Hutto. 

“Based on the information currently available, the assault appears to have been a random attack,” Fenton said.

The affidavit did not include a motive for the assault. The incident happened Friday inside the home improvement store at 600 U.S. 79, according to the affidavit, which was released Tuesday. The victim possibly had both arms broken during the attack and suffered an injury to his head, the affidavit said. 

Police were alerted about the incident at 4:57 p.m. Friday, the affidavit said. Surveillance video from Home Depot showed Bauer waiting by his car for a short time after he parked, the affidavit said. The victim then parked in the lot and began walking toward the store entrance, the document said. It said Bauer followed the victim into the store and then stood near the entrance while the victim walked farther into the store.

Bauer then walked into an aisle and pulled a handheld hatchet from a rack, the affidavit said. He then walked toward customer service, where he approached the victim and began hitting him with the hatchet, police said. After the victim fell to the floor, Bauer dropped the hatchet and left the store in his car, according to the affidavit.

It said police found him in his car near the city limits. While Bauer was being handcuffed, the affidavit said, he asked officers if the victim was dead and said he hoped he was dead.

“John also made the comment that he had just killed someone,” the affidavit said.

 It said that when police interviewed Bauer later, he again asked if the victim was dead and said he hoped the victim was dead. Bauer then refused to talk further with detectives, the affidavit said. 

He was being held in the Williamson County Jail on Tuesday with bail set at $750,000. A judge has ordered a mental health assessment of Bauer, according to court records.