Fall River police say a 56-year-old man is facing an armed assault with intent to murder charge after officers say he chased down and slashed another man near the city's central bus terminal on Sunday morning, leaving the victim with head and shoulder wounds serious enough to require a trip to a trauma center across state lines. Kenneth Bell was taken into custody within minutes of the attack and was held for arraignment in Fall River District Court on Monday.
Officers responded to reports of a stabbing and a man chasing another individual with a knife at the SRTA Bus Terminal at 118 Fourth Street around 11:52 a.m. Sunday, according to the City of Fall River Police Department. Investigators determined the actual assault had taken place at an address on Fifth Street, where they found a 45-year-old man suffering multiple lacerations to his head and shoulder, according to Fall River Reporter. Officers provided medical aid to the victim at the scene before he was transported to Rhode Island Hospital for further treatment.
Suspect Located Blocks Away With Knife Still on Him
Police located a man matching the dispatch description on nearby Hartwell Street and took him into custody. Officers recovered a folding utility knife from Bell's pocket, and he was transported to the Fall River Police Department for booking, per the same account from police.
Investigators say Bell took belongings from the victim during the confrontation, a detail that led to the armed robbery charge. In total, Bell was charged with armed assault with intent to murder, armed robbery, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, disturbing the peace while armed, and vandalizing property.
What Bell Is Facing Under Massachusetts Law
The most serious charge Bell faces, armed robbery, is a felony punishable by up to life imprisonment in state prison under Massachusetts law, which requires taking property through force or fear while armed with a dangerous weapon, according to the Massachusetts Legislature. The armed assault with intent to murder charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in state prison, though prosecutors must establish a specific intent to kill rather than a general intent to harm. Assault and battery with a dangerous weapon is punishable by up to 10 years in state prison, a term that can rise to 15 years if the act caused serious bodily injury.
The relationship, if any, between Bell and the victim has not been disclosed, and the exact items police say were taken have not been specified. The victim's current condition at Rhode Island Hospital, the region's sole Level I Trauma Center serving southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, was also not immediately available.
Another Violent Incident Near the Same Transit Hub
The SRTA terminal has seen knife violence before. In April 2024, Fall River police arrested 28-year-old Rama Burch after a daytime knife altercation at the same location left a victim severely injured, according to WPRI 12. Hartwell Street, where Bell was caught, was also the site of a stabbing last October that hospitalized former Fall River Mayor Will Flanagan.
The Fifth Street slashing adds to a string of knife-related violence Fall River police have investigated over the past year. In February, a double stabbing on Walnut Street sent two victims to trauma centers, and police made an arrest nearby shortly afterward. Fall River police also locked down Aetna Street in June during a homicide investigation, part of a broader pattern of violent incidents the department has handled through 2026.
