A suspect was taken into police custody Saturday after six people, including four girls between the ages of 9 and 17, were stabbed in separate attacks that Massachusetts authorities say are likely related.
The girls, who were attacked at a movie theater, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to Boston hospitals for treatment, according to Braintree police. A 21-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man who were stabbed about an hour later at a Plymouth McDonalds were also taken to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.
While the two attacks occurred about an hour apart in different cities, “it appears the crimes are related,” Braintree police said in a news release, noting that the four girls were stabbed without warning at an AMC theater. around 6 p.m. placed on lockdown shortly after the incident, an AMC employee told Keynote USA.
“Without saying anything and without warning, he suddenly attacked and stabbed the four young women,” police said of the suspect. “The attack appeared to be unprovoked. After the attack, the man ran out of the theater and left in a vehicle.”
Police discovered that the suspect had left the theater in what appeared to be a black van, and video footage allowed authorities to capture his license plate, the release said. A vehicle matching the description was “allegedly involved in a similar assault in Plymouth,” which is about a 30-minute drive south of Braintree, police said.
About an hour after the first attack, around 7:04 p.m., police were called to a report of a stabbing at a McDonald’s in Plymouth, according to a news release from the Massachusetts State Police.
State troopers soon located a vehicle matching the description of one driven by the suspect, state police said, but it did not stop when state troopers attempted to stop it. Massachusetts State Police pursued the vehicle, which ended in a crash in Sandwich, about a 25-minute drive south of Plymouth, according to police.
“Preliminary investigation suggests a possible connection to a previous incident at a movie theater in Braintree that resulted in non-life-threatening injuries to four juveniles,” state police said.
The suspect, who has not been identified, is being treated at an area hospital, state police said. The investigation remains “active and ongoing” by state and local police, according to the statement.
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