Hammer Assault Case Update

An update is now available in a violent hammer assault case first reported last week, with investigators releasing new details and formal charges.

According to court documents, 41-year-old Anthony Cornell Brown has been charged with felony attempted first-degree murder, felony robbery with a dangerous weapon, felony second-degree kidnapping, felony larceny of a motor vehicle, misdemeanor communicating threats, and misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.

Investigators have identified the victim as Randall Warren. A search warrant states that Brown had been staying at Warren’s home after the two met online. Warren told the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office that Brown was initially invited to stay at the residence but later refused to leave.

According to the warrant, Warren said that on the morning of the reported assault he asked Brown to leave the home, which led to an argument. Warren told deputies that Brown then grabbed a hammer and threatened to kill him if he did not open a gun safe inside the house.

Warren reported that he opened the safe and that Brown then struck him multiple times in the head and face with the hammer. Investigators say Brown took the keys to Warren’s 2008 Toyota Camry and fled the scene.

Authorities say Brown was arrested later the same day in Charlotte with assistance from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Warren’s vehicle was also recovered in Charlotte.

The investigation remains ongoing, and all charges are pending further court proceedings.