Six people, including four girls, were stabbed in separate attacks. Massachusetts police say they are likely connected

CNN
—

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. Massachusetts authorities say the two attacks are likely related.

The girls who were attacked in a movie theater suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were taken to Boston hospitals for treatment, Braintree police said. A 21-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man who were stabbed about an hour later in a McDonald’s in Plymouth were taken to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.

Separately, Connecticut State Police said a suspect had been arrested in Massachusetts in connection with a death there. Police in neither state have confirmed whether the Connecticut case is connected to the Massachusetts cases.

While the two attacks Although the incidents occurred about an hour apart in different cities, “it appears the crimes are related,” Braintree police said in a press release. They noted that the four girls were stabbed without warning at an AMC movie theater around 6 p.m. The theater was locked down shortly after the incident, an AMC employee told CNN.

“Without saying anything and without warning, he suddenly attacked the four young women and stabbed them,” police said of the suspect. “The attack appeared to be unprovoked. After the attack, the man ran out of the cinema and drove away in a vehicle.”

Police determined the suspect left the theater in what appeared to be a black SUV, and video footage allowed authorities to capture the license plate, the news release said. A vehicle matching the description was “allegedly involved in a similar robbery in Plymouth,” which is about a 30-minute drive south of Braintree, police said.

About an hour after the first attack, at around 7:04 p.m., police were called to a reported stabbing at a McDonald’s in Plymouth, according to a Massachusetts State Police press release.

State police soon found a vehicle matching the description of the one driven by the suspect, state police said. However, the vehicle did not stop when state police attempted to pull it over. Massachusetts State Police pursued the vehicle, which resulted in a crash in Sandwich, about a 25-minute drive south of Plymouth, according to police.

“Preliminary investigation indicates a likely connection to a previous incident at a Braintree movie theater in which four juveniles sustained non-life-threatening injuries,” state police said.

The suspect, whose identity has not yet been determined, is being treated at an area hospital, state police said. The state and local police investigation is “active and ongoing,” the press release said.

Meanwhile, police in Connecticut are investigating a death in the town of Deep River.

In a statement released late Saturday, Connecticut State Police said they responded to a “disturbance” at an address in the city on Saturday afternoon. There, police found a “dead person” whose identity has not yet been confirmed, Connecticut State Police said.

“A suspect in this investigation has been taken into custody in the state of Massachusetts and there is no active threat to the public,” the press release said. The suspect’s name was not disclosed.