A New Jersey man was arrested Wednesday after police said he broke into a Marietta couple’s home and attacked them in a brazen midday home invasion.
The man, identified by police as 32-year-old Harjit Singh, appeared around noon at the door of a home on North Saint Mary’s Lane in the Oakton neighborhood, a quiet, high-end residential community close to the Marietta Square and Wellstar Kennestone Hospital. He began knocking on the door.
When the homeowners confronted Singh, a complete stranger to them, he broke the glass around the door and tried to go inside, according to Marietta police spokesperson Officer Chuck McPhilamy. What ensued was a bizarre, seemingly random attack on the couple, he said.
After the initial interaction, Singh walked down the driveway and vandalized the couple’s mailbox before returning to the door and damaging plants, glass and a table on the front porch, McPhilamy said. He then focused his attention back on getting inside the house, he said.
The couple fought back, trying to keep Singh outside until police arrived. During the confrontation, Singh picked up a broken piece of glass and used it to slash one of the homeowners in the side, according to McPhilamy.
When officers arrived, Singh had blood on his hands and feet, ignored police orders and “displayed abnormal and unpredictable behavior,” he said.
Police used a stun gun to get him under control and took him into custody. He is being held at the Cobb County jail and faces multiple charges, including burglary, home invasion, terroristic threats, obstruction, aggravated battery and second-degree criminal damage to property.
No other information was released about a possible motive. According to police, Singh was armed with a knife but did not use it during the attack.
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