A man was critically injured after being stabbed multiple times while sitting in his car in the parking lot of an apartment complex at 1369 Park Ave. in Cranston. Police say an unidentified attacker opened the passenger door of the victim's car, stabbed him in the chest, then fled the scene.
According to the Cranston Herald, the victim was a 46-year-old man who suffered multiple stab wounds to his arm and chest. However, turnto10.com reported the victim was 46 years old, and that the stabbing happened Friday afternoon. Accounts of the timing also diverge: Patch reported that a 911 caller phoned in the stabbing shortly after 12:39 p.m. Saturday, without specifying a date, while turnto10.com placed the attack on Friday afternoon, Nov. 6.
Cranston officers provided medical assistance at the scene until Cranston Fire Department personnel arrived and transported the victim to Rhode Island Hospital. Per Patch, he underwent surgery and remained in critical condition.
Investigators Say Attack Happened Fast
Police believe the victim was attacked about 10 minutes before the 911 call came in, after he had just parked his car in the lot, according to the initial investigation outlined by the Cranston Herald. The same account describes how the unidentified man entered the victim's car through the passenger-side door, got out, and ran off before officers arrived.
Investigators told turnto10.com they believe the attack was targeted rather than random, noting that the parties are somewhat familiar with each other. No suspects were in custody as of Friday evening, per that same report.
Police Pursuing Leads, Seeking Public's Help
The Cranston Police Department's Criminal Investigation Unit and Bureau of Criminal Identification personnel are pursuing leads in the case, according to the Cranston Herald. Police have asked witnesses or anyone with information to call the department at 401-942-2211.
The department said it will also accept information anonymously by text at 847411.
Not the First Stabbing Reported at a Cranston Complex
This is not the only apartment-complex stabbing reported in Cranston in recent memory. A separate incident at Mansion House Apartments on Oaklawn Avenue, reported by The Valley Breeze, led to two arrests on a Friday, Aug. 14, though the year of that incident was not specified in the report. In that case, a 28-year-old man suffered a severe stab wound to his abdomen and was listed in stable condition at Rhode Island Hospital after Selena Martinez, 39, and Markea Smith, 32, were taken into custody when their vehicle was stopped while leaving the scene.
Police continued working the investigation.
