New London ― Police arrested a New London man Wednesday on charges he attacked a bystander with a machete on Broad Street.

Jermel Jacklin, 42, with a last known address of 11 Brewers St., Apt. 1, was charged with attempted first-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment, carrying a dangerous weapon, breach of peace, first-degree threatening and failure to comply with fingerprinting.

Responding to a 911 call at 6:44 a.m., police went to the area of Williams Park Apartments for reports of a man attacking people with a machete. Police said they arrived to find Jacklin on the sidewalk yelling at a group of people across the street. Jacklin was taken into custody and police seized a machete with a 13-inch blade.

A victim told police he was walking on Broad Street towards Hempstead Street when Jacklin came out of Williams Park yelling at him, apparently angered because he thought the victim had spit on the sidewalk, police said.

Police said Jacklin started swinging the machete and chasing the victim, hitting him once in the back. Police said the machete did not penetrate the victim’s thick jacket and the victim was not injured.

A witness recorded the attack on a cell phone, police said.

Jacklin, with several pending criminal cases, is being held on a $200,000 bond and is expected to undergo a mental health evaluation, according to court records. He is due back in New London Superior Court on May 22.

One of Jacklin’s pending cases is linked to a 2022 fight that started on a Southeast Area Transit bus in Montville and ended with one man suffering from knife wounds. Jacklin was charged with second-degree assault and second-degree breach of peace in that case and pleaded not guilty. The case is pending in Norwich Superior Court.

Jacklin is due back in New London Superior Court on May 22 on the latest charges.