The Denver District Attorney's Office says there are three victims of an attempted machete attack in Denver's Commons Park on June 23.

Silvano Avalos Villa, 49, is being held in the Denver jail and faces multiple charges of assault.

Denver resident Daniel Workman starts every day with a run.

"I run mostly for the feeling," Workman said.

Monday, June 23, was no different. Around 9 a.m., he passed through Commons Park on the Cherry Creek bike path.

"It was a normal run. I was kind of in my zone. I was six or seven miles into my run, and as I turned the corner here, I just randomly got attacked by this man," Workman said.

Like a scene from a horror movie, a man wielding a machete jumped out from behind a tree and swung at Workman.

"Like a black blade, but like the silver sharp edge, so like, I just saw that edge being swung at me. And, yeah, that's all I needed to see," Workman said. "When I turned around and kind of stumbled forward, I saw him taking a second swing at me with his machete. And I just saw the machete coming at me. It was, like, almost in slow motion. It felt like, because I just realized then that this person was, like, trying to kill me."

Workman narrowly dodged the blow and sprinted up the path. The man chased him, swinging his machete and shouting in Spanish.

"I was just yelling at people to run," Workman said.

As he ran, Workman called police and tried to warn others.

"It was a long two minutes of running up and down the path, running away from him, trying to keep him away from the lady that was coming up the rear," Workman said. "He was just wielding his machete, screaming at her."

Eventually, the man took off on a bike.

"I was freaking out. I was like, this guy is going to kill someone," Workman said.

To his relief, Workman saw police arrive within minutes and arrest the man, Silvano Villa.

"It was just so clear that this guy was so unhinged that, like anybody who crossed paths with him, like, because the attack on me was so random, you know, I just happened to be there. It could have been anyone," Workman said. "He was out to attack someone."

Despite the close call with death, Workman hasn't stopped running.

"I haven't missed a day, even since the attack," Workman said.

But he's no longer taking his familiar route.

"I love this path so much. It breaks my heart that I can't run here anymore, but it's just too dangerous," Workman said. "To have someone try to kill me on my run is just kind of unthinkable."

The experience has inspired him to advocate for change to make Denver safer.

"I'm not trying to demonize the homelessness epidemic here, and the people who are struggling like that, but also I don't want to feel unsafe," Workman said. "I can't wait for the day that I can feel safe running on my bike path again."

An affidavit lists Villa's occupation as construction and his home address as transient.

In court Monday, Villa's preliminary hearing was set for July 23. That is likely when his bail will be set.