A brutal stabbing at a WeGo bus stop in Nashville's Edgehill area has left one man with life-threatening injuries and another in custody, continuing a trend of violence at the city's transit sites. The incident occurred early Thursday morning at the intersection of 12th Avenue South and Wedgewood Avenue. WKRN reports that the assailant, identified as 31-year-old Jacob A. Boswell, allegedly knelt on the victim's head and repeatedly stabbed him in the head and neck while witnesses used a chair to fend off the attacker, ultimately intervening to stop the assault.
Officials have charged Boswell with felony attempted homicide, holding him on a $150,000 bond. Witnesses at the scene reportedly heard him saying, "This guy needs to die," and "Somebody has to die, I'm gonna kill you!" as per WKRN. The victim, a 63-year-old homeless man, was taken to Vanderbilt Emergency Department for treatment of his injuries but was unable to be interviewed due to his condition.
According to FOX 17 News, this stabbing follows a series of violent crimes at WeGo facilities in the past month, including a shooting at WeGo Central and another stabbing involving a bus driver in East Nashville. WeGo CEO Stephen Bland commented that the proximity of the stabbing and shooting is unusual, given that their system serves about 30,000 riders each day, with 24/7 security at their central location and multiple recording systems on every vehicle.
The Metro Nashville Police Department continued to investigate the circumstances surrounding the attack. They said when arriving at the scene, Boswell was still standing over the defenseless victim with the knife in his hand, as reported by WSMV. The series of violent incidents has raised concerns about safety at WeGo transit sites, despite assurances of heightened security measures in place.
