Lawrence police have arrested an Independence, Mo., man accused of attacking a transient with a machete as the victim was sleeping late Wednesday night in downtown Lawrence.

Police spokesman Sgt. Dan Ward said the transient was sleeping under a blanket near 10th and Massachusetts streets about 11 p.m. Wednesday, when the 40-year-old suspect approached him and began hitting him with a machete.

Ward said the 42-year-old victim’s blanket and multiple layers of clothing prevented him from suffering any injuries.

Witnesses saw the suspect get into a vehicle and leave the scene. Police officers stopped a car nearby and arrested the suspect on aggravated battery and disorderly conduct charges. Police recovered a machete believed to be used in the attack.

Ward said the suspect and the victim knew each other but would not elaborate on their relationship.

“The victim said that the two of them have had problems in the past,” Ward said.