Six individuals were stabbed at a restaurant and a movie theater, with 4 of them being females. Fresh insights unfold about a potential culprit.
Police in Massachusetts are examining if a man accused of stabbing two people at a McDonald's in Plymouth could also be linked to a separate attack on four girls aged between 9 and 17 at a movie theater in Braintree.
26-year-old Jared Ravizza is being investigated for "multiple South Shore stabbing incidents," according to the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office, but no details have been given about the other attacks.
Braintree authorities believe the incidents at the movie theater and the McDonald's are connected.
Ravizza has been arrested and is charged with assault with intent to murder and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon related to the McDonald's incident. He is expected to appear in court on Tuesday and it's unclear if he has any legal representation yet.
In August, Ravizza was detained on Martha’s Vineyard after he allegedly assaulted a family member and damaged property. However, the case has not been resolved.
Ravizza's father told officers that Jared "had just had a mental breakdown and attacked him" inside their home, according to The Boston Globe, who cited a police report from the court. The report also mentioned Ravizza allegedly trashed the father's office. Ravizza was taken to Martha's Vineyard Hospital for a mental health assessment but was deemed unsuitable for hospitalization.
How the weekend's stabbings transpired
The first attack took place around 6:00 PM on Saturday at an AMC movie theater in Braintree.
"Without warning and without saying anything, (the assailant) suddenly attacked and stabbed four young girls," police reported. "The attack appeared to be unprovoked. After the attack, the (suspect) ran out of the theater and left in a vehicle."
The girls were taken to hospitals in Boston for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, Braintree police noted.
The theater was put on lockdown following the attack, an AMC employee told CNN.
Authorities were able to obtain the license plate number of the vehicle the assailant drove from the theater.
A car fitting that description was involved in a similar assault in Plymouth, about 25 miles southeast of Braintree, according to police.
About an hour after the movie theater stabbings, a 21-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man were stabbed at a McDonald's in Plymouth.
Ravizza reportedly arrived at the scene of the Plymouth McDonald's in a black Porsche Macan SUV, officials said.
Footage from the restaurant's surveillance cameras showed Ravizza reach into the drive-through area and stab the male victim with a large knife, authorities said.
The video then shows the suspect park his car, enter the restaurant and stab the female victim before leaving in the vehicle, the prosecutor's office added.
Both victims from the McDonald’s assault were taken to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, authorities informed.
Minutes after the McDonald's stabbings, state troopers attempted to stop the suspect's car but he failed to comply, leading to a chase.
The suspect's vehicle eventually crashed in Sandwich, a 25-minute drive south of Plymouth, police disclosed.
Ravizza was receiving medical treatment for non-life-threatening injuries at a hospital on Sunday, the prosecutor's office revealed.
Though Ravizza is being charged with assault in connection with the McDonald's incident, investigators believe there is a possible connection to a prior incident at a movie theater in Braintree that led to non-life-threatening injuries for the four victims.
It is currently unknown whether Ravizza has legal representation. CNN has sought comment from Massachusetts State Police, the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office, and the Braintree Police Department for further details.
Massachusetts State Police confirmed that the investigation is ongoing.
Connecticut police probe another possible link
Separately, Connecticut State Police reported that a suspect connected to a death in the small town of Deep River was held in custody in Massachusetts. However, neither state's authorities have confirmed that the Connecticut case is related to the stabbings in Massachusetts.
Connecticut State Police responded to a "disturbance" at an address in Deep River and found "a deceased individual" whose identity has yet to be confirmed, Connecticut authorities said.
A suspect connected to this investigation was taken into custody in Massachusetts. There is no active threat to the public, Connecticut police stated, though they didn't disclose the suspect's name.
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The police in Massachusetts are considering if Jared Ravizza, the suspect for the stabbing at a McDonald's in Plymouth, could be linked to the attack on four girls at a movie theater in Braintree, which involves us (the people of Braintree).
Ravizza, who is under investigation for multiple South Shore stabbing incidents, was arrested and charged in relation to the McDonald's incident, but details about the other attacks have not been provided yet, which affects us (the community) in Braintree.
Source: edition.cnn.com
