A Salina man was taken into custody after allegedly striking another man in the face with a machete.

According to Police Captain David Villanueva, 48-year-old Tualagi Masaniai is facing a charge of attempted first degree murder and aggravated battery after he split a man’s face open with a machete following a verbal argument.

Police say on Friday afternoon the 38-year-old victim and Masaniai were drinking beers with a group of acquaintances at a house in the 400 block of S. 12th Street when the disagreement began.

Witnesses told officers he pulled a knife out and told the victim he would choke him out. The next morning Masaniai returned to the house with a machete and reportedly struck the victim in the face.

Police arrested Masaniai on Saturday at his hotel on S. Broadway and recovered a blood stained 2 to 3-foot machete inside his room.