A 26-year-old man wanted in connection with a stabbing at a New Bedford bar last month has been captured in Hartford, Connecticut, and now faces extradition back to Massachusetts to answer for the attack. Sanedlly Santana was taken into custody in Hartford without incident, ending a weeks-long search tied to a violent fight that left two people wounded.
According to Boston 25 News, the charges against Santana stem from an Oct. 10 incident at a New Bedford bar. U.S. Marshals Task Forces said Santana was involved in a fight at the bar that turned violent.
The arrest followed a cross-state investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service’s Massachusetts and Connecticut fugitive task forces. The Massachusetts task force includes state and local law-enforcement partners, among them the Massachusetts State Police and New Bedford Police Department, as well as federal agencies. The Marshals Service describes fugitive task forces as multi-agency efforts to locate and apprehend people wanted on federal, state or local charges. The agencies’ account of the arrest says Massachusetts investigators developed information that Santana was in Connecticut before the Hartford arrest.
Allegations of a Chest and Neck Stabbing
Task force investigators said Santana allegedly stabbed a man in the chest and a woman in the neck during the altercation, the outlet reported. The report did not include details on the victims' conditions or identities, and no additional information about what sparked the fight was provided.
Santana was arrested in Connecticut on Tuesday, the station's report states. He now faces three charges: assault with intent to murder, assault by means of a dangerous weapon, and assault and battery.
The arrest warrant was issued by New Bedford District Court on Oct. 13, three days after the alleged stabbing, the U.S. Marshals Service said. Santana was arrested in Hartford on Nov. 3, according to the agency. The Marshals’ account says the warrant charged him in connection with the stabbing of the woman; the charges remain allegations, and Santana is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Awaiting Extradition to Massachusetts
Santana is currently being held in Connecticut on a fugitive-from-justice charge while he awaits extradition to Massachusetts. Once returned, he is expected to face the pending charges in New Bedford District Court, per the same account.
Connecticut’s extradition law provides a process for returning someone held in the state on another state’s criminal charge. It says a governor may recognize a written extradition demand supported by specified court or warrant documents; if the demand is approved, a governor’s arrest warrant can be issued. The law also allows an arrested person to consent to return after a judge explains the right to extradition procedures and habeas corpus review. Connecticut’s Uniform Criminal Extradition Act sets out those requirements.
