HORRIFIC: Minnesota Mother Brutally Attacked With Hammer Inside Her Own Home — Brave Pit Bull Stops Suspect From Reaching Sleeping Children

Credit: CBS Minnesota / Minnesota Department of Corrections

A terrifying home invasion in Minneapolis nearly turned fatal when a mother was violently standard-ambushed at her front door by an attacker wielding a hammer.

Maria Grant told CBS Minnesota/WCCO that a man she knew, who had done yard work for her and walked her dog, showed up wearing a wig. He allegedly struck her repeatedly in the head.

Despite severe head trauma and bleeding, Grant fought to keep the assailant from moving toward the staircase, where her young children were sleeping upstairs.

The attacker stepped past her and went for the staircase. Her young children were asleep upstairs. He never made it.

Waiting for the attacker was Athena, Grant’s 7-year-old pit bull.

“She was biting him,” Grant recalled. “And I could see the blood coming out of his legs from his jeans.”

The 80-pound dog tackled the attacker, biting his legs and forcing him to retreat, which gave Grant enough time to escape with her children and call for emergency assistance. Grant required six staples in her head to treat her injuries.

The man later identified in charging documents as Damonte Richardson showed up at North Memorial Hospital with dog-bite wounds. Police arrested him.

However, local authorities released Richardson from hospital custody before formal charges were finalized, allowing him to walk free.

An active warrant has since been issued for second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, but Richardson remains at large.

Grant expressed intense frustration over the system’s failure to keep the suspect detained, stating she fears for the community’s safety while he remains at large.

Law enforcement is currently asking anyone with information regarding Richardson’s whereabouts to contact local authorities immediately.