Bostons WCVB news stringer waited hours to capture video of a vehicle involved in a stabbing that took place in Manchester over the weekend.
A suspect in the Sunday night stabbing of a Revere man in Manchester has been arrested and was taken Monday from Manchester Police Station to Salem District Court where he will be arraigned on a series of charges.
Raymond Joel Vega-Castro, 23, whose last home address was in Revere, has been charged with armed assault with intent to murder, mayhem, kidnapping, and assault and battery to collect a loan or debt. Mr. Vega-Castro, dressed in a brown shirt, brown pants, and no shoes, was taken by police at noon from the Manchester Police Station where he had been held overnight.
News of the incident shocked local residents, as details of the incident emerged. It was Sunday evening, Mother's Day, when Manchester Police responded to the corner of School and North Streets at 7.50 p.m. after a report of a man who had been stabbed.
The 911 call came from a North Street resident out for a walk who was approached by a man, bleeding, who asked to use his phone to contact his wife. The man appeared to be in shock, said the witness. He said he didn't know where he was, and said he had been kidnapped by several men in a white Suzuki SUV. The vehicle had been at Masconomo Park and sometime after the victim was attacked, the vehicle drove away with the man in it and he was able to escape from the car.
The North Street resident called the man's wife and let him speak to her. The victim asked the resident to not contact the police. They parted, and immediately, the resident contacted the police.
The victim, 26, who lives in Revere, had sustained multiple stab wounds to his upper torso and head, according to Manchester Police Chief Todd Fitzgerald. He was taken by ambulance to Beverly Hospital with injuries that at the time were believed to be non-life-threatening.
Fitzgerald said the department immediately put out a bulletin to North Shore police and, in collaboration with police in Lynn and Revere, the Suzuki was spotted in Revere. After a short chase, Vega-Castro allegedly fled by foot from the vehicle, and was subsequently caught. The vehicle was found later, abandoned, in Chelsea. At 1.45 a.m. Monday, Vega-Castro was brought to Manchester for processing.
Whether the stabbing victim knew his attackers is unconfirmed at this point, but the Vega-Castro's charge relating to collecting a debt or loan indicates the victim was not unknown to his assailants.
"This case is still under active investigation, but we're looking closely into why these individuals were in Manchester, since none of them had any apparent ties here," said Fitzgerald, who observed that he couldn't remember there ever being a stabbing in Manchester in the 30 years he has been on the force.
The sealed Suzuki, with red splatter on its passenger side door that appeared to be blood, was towed by Tally's to the Manchester Police Department garage, arriving at 11.30 a.m. Monday where it is being processed for the investigation.
For Police Chief Fitzgerald, the main focus is to assure local residents that they are safe. "I want to emphasize that there's no danger to the public at this time," he said. The department’s main focus now is to follow up on details, and determine why these three men from Revere made their way to Manchester, and how such an act of violence happened. Police in Chelsea, Lynn and Revere will continue to work with Manchester detectives on the investigation.
The case captured the imagination of regional press, where it was widely followed. One television news crew from WCVB Channel 5 raced to Manchester at 4.00 a.m. to cover the story, and were in place when Mr. Vega-Castro was transported to Salem in the afternoon. A long day for all.
