Man Holding Yard Sale Hit With Hatchet

A man holding a yard sale at his home was injured when an assailant attacked him with a hatchet and then apparently drove off in the man's van.

Harley Tapp, 85, had surgery to repair injuries to his head and arm after the attack Monday afternoon. Police were looking for the attacker.

"This guy needs to be in jail," Tapp's son, Bobby Tapp, said. "If he'd do this to an elderly man, imagine what he might do to a child or pregnant woman."

Police believe robbery was the motive for the attack. A man who came by the yard sale asked Tapp for a specific item when no other customers were around, and Tapp led him to a shed to get it, Knoxville Police investigator Patty Tipton said.

When Tapp's back was turned, the man grabbed a hatchet and attacked him. The man ran off with some cash stolen from Tapp.

Relatives later discovered Tapp's van was missing, and police believe the attacker may have driven off in it.