A bat, a chain, clubs and knives were all used this past weekend in two brutal, but unrelated beatings in Omaha. A suspect in one of the attacks told Channel 6 News Tuesday he was defending a family member.

Twenty-five-year-old Richard Fordyce told police several people attacked him in Gallagher Park near 52nd and Maple just before 4 a.m. Sunday.

Four people were arrested. Three face felony assault charges, including 18-year-old Troy Bruno of Fort Calhoun. “I apologize for how it went down,” said Bruno at the Douglas County Jail. “I'm sorry it happened. That's all I can say."

Bruno says he and his 15-year-old cousin had just left a graduation party. As they walked through Gallagher Park, Bruno says he was just protecting his family. "I don't know who started it, but my position is I was protecting my cousin 'cause I saw my cousin pinned down on the ground by a 26-year-old and I wasn't going to let that happen.”

Bruno admits to striking Fordyce with a stick to free his cousin, but Bruno says it was his cousin's three friends who are responsible for what happened next, stabbing and beating Fordyce, leaving him barely clinging to life. "I didn't even know there was a knife involved or a stabbing at all. We left and it just went crazy from there."

Initially, doctors did not expect Fordyce to survive. He had surgery at Creighton University Medical Center and was listed in critical condition on Sunday. The hospital is not releasing his current condition. Police say they are usually notified if a victim's condition deteriorates, so they believe he is improving.

"I apologize to his family," says Bruno. "I feel for him. I'm sorry for it, but at the same token I ain't going to let a 15-year-old cousin get beat up by a 26-year-old."

On his MySpace page, friends have started wishing Fordyce well. One friend saying I'm sorry those guys did that to you. Bruno says "those guys" should not include him.

Bruno says he never saw any of the weapons allegedly used, which according to police included chains, clubs and knives.

Another attack happened early Monday morning at apartments near 30th and Burt where 20-year-old Buna Wurok of Bellevue was badly beaten with a baseball bat and nearly died. No arrests have been made.

These two incidents got Channel 6 News Crimetracker wondering how often this crime occurs in your neighborhood. In May, Crimetracker found nine similar crimes of random assaults all around the metro.