Man Bludgeons 4 With Baseball Bat In Denver Strip Club: Police

DENVER, CO – A 41-year-old man is in custody facing first-degree murder and assault charges after a murderous baseball bat attack in a Denver strip club that killed one person and injured three on Sunday afternoon, police said.

Ryan Ashland, 41, was arrested and is accused of beating a man to death and seriously injuring another man and two women at P.T.'s Show Club, 1601 W. Evans Ave., a statement from Denver police said.

Police were dispatched to a 911 call at the strip club around 12:55 p.m. Sunday, April 28 where they found Ashland holding a baseball bat standing over a person who "was seriously injured and in need of medical attention."

Officers used a Taser to take Ashland into custody, after he reportedly refused to drop the bat or move away from the victim, an arrest affidavit said.

Four people were taken to Denver Health Medical Center with serious blunt-force injuries to their heads and bodies. One man died at the hospital and a woman was listed in critical condition. Another man and woman who had been attacked were treated and released, police said.

Witnesses told police that Ashland was "making excited utterances," in the moments before the attack, police said in the affidavit. A woman who survived the attack told police she fled out the door of the business and into the parking lot.

Police did not say whether or not Ashland knew any of the victims.

Ashland is being held in the Denver County jail on no bond, according to the online jail inmate roster. His next scheduled court appearance is April 30.

Police released a booking photo of Ashland on Tuesday.