BRAINTREE, MASS. (WHDH) - Authorities have identified the man accused of attacking two people with a knife at a McDonald’s restaurant in Plymouth on Saturday before fleeing from state police and being taken into custody after crashing his vehicle in Sandwich. And police say he’s likely behind the stabbing of four girls at a theater in Braintree earlier in the day.
Jared Ravizza, 26, of Chilmark, is facing charges of assault with intent to murder and assault battery with a dangerous weapon in connection with the attack in Plymouth, according to a statement issued Sunday by Plymouth District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz.
Officers responding to a reported stabbing at the McDonald’s at the Route 3 rest area around 7 p.m. found a 21-year-old woman and a 28-year-old man who were suffering from non-life-threatening stab wounds. Both were taken to the hospital.
After reviewing surveillance video, investigators determined Ravizza reached through the drive-thru window to stab the man and then went inside the restaurant to stab the second victim. As a result, police issued an alert for his black Porsche, which later crashed and went up in flames in Sandwich.
Ravizza was placed under arrest around 7:15 p.m. He is slated to be arraigned Tuesday in Plymouth District Court.
He is also believed to be behind a similar attack at the AMC movie theater in Braintree, where four girls were stabbed while watching a movie.
An investigation determined that at about 6 p.m., a male entered the Grandview Avenue movie theater, walked past the ticket counter, and entered one of the theaters without paying, according to police.
The girls, ages 9 to 17, were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Lisa Dembrowski, the mother of three of the victims, said the girls had just sat down for the movie when the attack occurred.
“He came up behind them, my oldest was leaned over to get something, he got her in the back, my other daughter in the chest and another across the arm, laughing the whole time,” she said, adding the girls are “shaken up.”
“Physically fine, I think kids are resilient, I think they’re terrified that they can go to a movie on a Saturday night and someone can just walk in and do this,” she said.
A spokesperson for AMC addressed the stabbing at the AMC in Braintree in a statement Monday, saying “The welfare of our guests and associates is AMC’s top priority, and we are saddened by this senseless act of violence.”
“We are heartened to learn the victims are recovering, and we are reaching out to their families privately,” said Vice President of Corporate Communications Ryan Noonan.
Noonan said the company has “already begun to conduct a thorough review of this incident,” adding “Based on theatre associate accounts and video footage, the theatre team jumped into action immediately, calling emergency services and administering aid to the victims.”
Noonan said a visible security presence will be in place at the Braintree AMC “for the immediate future.”
This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.
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