Police said the victim was attacked near Preston Highway businesses and later helped by veterinary workers.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A 30-year-old man was charged with attempted murder after police said he attacked a stranger with a cleaver Monday evening on a sidewalk in Louisville’s Okolona area.

Jeremiah Page is accused of striking the man twice in the head and once in the right shoulder at about 5:30 p.m. April 6 along the 7300 block of Preston Highway, a busy commercial corridor lined with shops and service businesses. Police said the two men did not know each other. The case drew attention because investigators said Page later gave a motive tied to the victim’s national origin, telling officers he attacked because the man “was a foreigner.”

The victim, whose name has not been released, was walking south on the sidewalk when Page allegedly approached with what police described as a cleaver-knife. Investigators said Page swung the blade repeatedly, hitting the victim in the head and shoulder before running from the scene. Several people working nearby saw the attack and called 911, according to police accounts cited in court records. Video also captured the assault, police said. The attack happened outside multiple businesses in Okolona, an area of southern Louisville where Preston Highway carries steady traffic through shopping centers, offices and small storefronts.

Workers at Preston Animal Hospital, near where the attack unfolded, helped the injured man before emergency crews took him to a hospital. Police said the victim does not speak English but was able to communicate enough to tell investigators what happened and help officers identify the suspect. Early records described the injuries as serious and life-threatening. Louisville Metro Police later said the injuries were not life-threatening, leaving some uncertainty about the full medical assessment. Officials later said the victim was alive and expected to survive, but they did not release his name, age, nationality or a detailed condition update.

Officers found Page close to the scene after witnesses gave a description of the suspect and the weapon, according to police. Investigators said Page had fled north on Preston Highway and returned to a nearby camp where he had been staying. When officers located him, police said, he still had the cleaver believed to have been used in the attack. Officers took him into custody and read him his Miranda rights several times. Police said Page then admitted to the assault. The arrest citation says Page claimed the victim was trespassing on his land and that he owned all of Louisville.

The alleged statements became a central part of the case at Page’s first court appearance Tuesday. Investigators said Page told officers he had never met the victim before the attack. According to the citation, Page also said he wanted to kill the man because he was a foreigner. One account of the citation used the phrase “he killed the victim,” though the victim did not die. Police and court officials treated the case as an attempted killing, not a homicide. Page pleaded not guilty in court and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

People who work near the scene said Page had drawn attention before the assault. Victor Meza, who worked at a nearby business, said Page came onto the property earlier that day and acted erratically. “He started getting loud and saying all kinds of things like he owned the place,” Meza said. “You could tell something was going on with him, so we just kicked him out.” Hours later, Meza said he saw first responders near the business after the attack. Police have not said whether any earlier call was made before the assault or whether officers had contact with Page before the victim was injured.

The courtroom discussion also included Page’s mental health history. A judge said Page had a history of mental health issues and had recently been at Central State, according to local court coverage. The reference did not change the charges filed against him, and the record made public so far does not include a final mental health finding. Howard Cobb, who works near the area, said the attack raised concerns beyond one criminal case. “Mental health is so overlooked for the marginalized, for the least,” Cobb said. His comments reflected the unease among workers who watched police, paramedics and witnesses gather along the corridor after the attack.

Page was charged with attempted murder and first-degree assault. The attempted murder charge centers on the allegation that he intended to kill the victim, while the assault charge reflects the serious physical injuries police say the cleaver caused. Prosecutors had not announced any added hate crime or civil rights charge in the reports available after the first hearing. Kentucky law allows prosecutors to seek enhanced treatment in some cases involving bias, but officials did not publicly say whether that question was under review. For now, the case remains in Jefferson County court on the two violent felony charges.

The judge set Page’s bond at $750,000, citing concern about the allegations and the motive described in police records. Page remained in custody after the hearing. His next court date was set for April 17, when the case was expected to return to court for further proceedings. That hearing could address probable cause, scheduling or other early case steps. Police said they had witness accounts, video and statements from Page after his arrest. Defense filings, if any, had not yet laid out a full response to the allegations beyond the not guilty plea.

The attack left workers along Preston Highway shaken by what they described as a sudden burst of violence in a public place. Veterinary staff who had been trained to treat animals became part of the emergency response when they helped stabilize a badly wounded man outside their workplace. Police have not said whether the victim had family in Louisville or whether an interpreter was used during later interviews. The man’s inability to speak English became part of the investigative record, but officials did not identify his immigration status, country of origin or reason for being on Preston Highway.

The April 17 hearing was set to move the case from arrest-stage claims toward a fuller court record, with prosecutors relying on the alleged confession, witness accounts, video and the recovered cleaver as Page remained held on $750,000 bond.

Author note: Last updated April 29, 2026.