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It happened on Monday, Nov. 6 in the New London County town of Colchester, according to Connecticut State Police.
At approximately 2:50 p.m., a woman was walking from her home in the area of Harrington Court to a local business.
However, as she walked to the business, she was confronted by 57-year-old Joseph Surwill, whose property is adjacent to the parking lot of the business the victim was walking to.
Though she did not cross onto Surwill’s property, he ran out of his home, grabbing an axe on the way to the woman.
Police said he then began to hold the axe horizontally and push the woman backward, all the while yelling at her to get off his property using racial slurs and profanity.
Surwill eventually took off in a red car.
After a witness corroborated the incident, officers found Surwill at a business on Old Hartford Road and took him into custody.
The man did not go willingly, authorities said, being uncooperative during the arrest and even going so far as threatening to bomb the officers and kill them upon his release.
Surwill is charged with:
- Intimidation based on bigotry or bias;
- Breach of peace;
- Threatening;
- Interfering with an officer/resisting arrest; and
- Failure to comply with fingerprinting requirements.
The Connecticut State Police Hate Crimes Unit was also notified of the incident.
Surwill was scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at Norwich Superior Court.
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