Authorities are on the hunt for a woman connected to a violent encounter that leaped from the roads of Massachusetts to the front door of a New Hampshire smoke shop. The incident, which unfolded Thursday morning, escalated to a knife attack after both parties entered the parking lot of Ace Discount Cigarettes in Pelham, NH, as reported by Boston 25 News. Pelham Police Department responded to the emergency just before 11:30 a.m., finding that the conflict initially sparked in Dracut, MA, both drivers pulling into the parking lot, where violence soon breached the uneasy truce of their vehicular standoff.
Surveillance footage, shared by police, captured the suspect confronting the other woman with a knife after she exited the store. The suspect then proceeded to slash the victim’s car tires and rummage through the trunk before fleeing the scene heading south on Bridge Street. The suspect remains at large and is believed to be driving a newer Kia Optima with Massachusetts plates. Pelham Police described the assailant as a Hispanic or Black woman in her 50s, measuring around 5 feet 3 inches tall, last seen wearing red leggings, a purple jacket, and a knitted hat.
The victim, who chose to remain anonymous during a Boston 25 News interview, detailed the harrowing ordeal, starting with what she claimed was the suspect making a sharp turn without signaling, eliciting a honk, only to find herself chased down and confronted once she had parked at Ace Discount Cigarettes. She recounted the suspect approaching her with a switchblade and a warning to be mindful of whom she addressed her beeps at.
According to further details provided by WCVB, Captain Brian Barbato of the Pelham Police detailed the assailant's action through the footage, "The suspect actually has a knife in her hand, goes after the victim, grabs the victim," but fortunately, the victim managed to break free and escape to safety within the store. The ordeal has had a profound impact on the victim, who admitted within two days of the attack she's been unable to find rest or respite, and despite the violence, she holds forgiveness for the suspect, saying, “We’re all God’s children, and I forgive [the suspect]... I just want [the victim] to pay for what she did," as noted by Boston 25 News.
The Pelham Police emphasize this is an active investigation and efforts to locate the suspect are ongoing, with Lieutenant Adam Thistle urging witnesses or anyone with information to step forward and contact the Pelham Police Department's Criminal Bureau at 603-635-2411.
