Homeless Man Severs His Own Arm With Homemade Guillotine

A homeless Washington man has lost his arm in a gory accident this Halloween weekend. Police say the guillotine unexpectedly dropped on the man's shoulder Thursday, severing his arm, at a makeshift camp where he was living.

After the accident, the man and his severed arm were rushed to Harborview Medical Center with hopes of reattaching it after first walking to local clinic. CBS Seattle reports that one woman outside the clinic told an employee; “I hope that’s a Halloween costume,” referring to the man missing his arm.

The condition of the victim is not known at this time, but Bellingham police said in a release he was being transferred to Harborview in Seattle for further treatment.

KTLA reports that Officers say the guillotine was constructed out of 2 by 6 by at least 12-feet tall timbers that the man found by scavenging the local area.

"A lot of thought and a lot of work and lot of preparation went into making this device and it was apparent this individual used this device to sever his own arm," Mark Young of the Bellingham Police told KOMO.

KOMO reports that while the injured man was interviewed by police,  other officers grabbed a chainsaw and went to go dismantle the guillotine, which Young said looked just like ones you would see in medieval times.