Newton stabbing suspect arrested
Shocking roadside attack on man, 53
A stabbing victim is expected to survive after police say he was randomly attacked by a 36-year-old man in broad daylight in West Newton, leaving a bloody scene in a rare act of violence for the usually quiet, affluent suburb.
The suspect was quickly put into custody after police say he stabbed a 53-year-old man yesterday in front of a local CVS.
“It’s extremely rare, we never have (that type of) thing happen here in Newton,” said Lt. Bruce Apotheker. “I always say ‘if it can happen here in Newton, one of the safest cities in America, it can happen anywhere.’”
Police were called to the intersection of Washington and Watertown streets in West Newton at around 12:30 p.m., where they found one male victim who had been stabbed and another man who was quickly arrested. The suspect, who has not yet been identified, was taken into custody without incident, Apotheker said.
The victim was rushed to an area hospital, Apotheker said, adding most of the details of the incident remain under investigation.
The stabbing took place just outside the Sweet Tomatoes restaurant in West Newton, Apotheker said. By mid-afternoon, a fire department truck had arrived to wash the blood off of the street. A large bloodstain surrounded by blood-soaked pieces of paper towel lay strewn across the sidewalk on the opposite side of the road, in front of a CVS.
Marcello Mastroianni said he made a couple of stops during the day to the In Town Market, just down the street from where the stabbing took place, and saw the suspect loitering as early as 8 a.m., asking people going in and out of the market whether they had any cigarettes. “He had a long beard, long hair, scrubby clothes, he looked like a bum,” Mastroianni said, adding that he saw the man with his hands up in the middle of Watertown Street, surrendering to police when he came back to the market.
Newton police are asking anyone who may have seen the fight or have any additional information about the incident to contact them directly.
The victim is expected to survive and did not know his attacker, Apotheker said, adding this appears to be a random attack.