4 girls stabbed at Massachusetts movie theater and it appears linked to another restaurant stabbing, police say

A suspect has been arrested on suspicion of stabbing four girls — ages 9 to 17 — at a Massachusetts movie theater before another apparently related assault at a fast-food restaurant, authorities said Saturday.

The two attacks took place about an hour apart in different towns and it “appears the crimes are related,” Braintree police said.

The four girls were stabbed without warning at an AMC movie theater in Braintree around 6 p.m. Saturday, according to a Braintree police news release.

“Without saying anything and without any warning, he suddenly attacked and stabbed the four young females. The attack does not appear to have been provoked,” police said. “After the attack, the man ran from the theater and left in a vehicle.”

The girls were taken to hospitals in Boston to treat their injuries. All four victims are expected to survive, authorities said.

Police discovered the attacker left the theater in what appeared to be a black SUV, and video footage allowed authorities to capture his license plate, the release said. A vehicle matching the description was allegedly “involved in a similar assault in Plymouth,” which is about a 30-minute drive south of Braintree, police said.

About an hour after the first attack, police were called to a stabbing at a McDonald’s in Plymouth, according to a news release from the Massachusetts State Police. A 21-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man were stabbed and transported to area hospitals. Their lives are not in danger.

“Preliminary investigation suggests a likely connection to an earlier incident at a movie theater in Braintree resulting in non-life-threatening injuries to four juveniles,” state police said.

Massachusetts State Police pursued the vehicle, which ended in a crash in Sandwich, about a 25-minute drive south of Plymouth, according to police.

The suspect, who has not been identified, is being treated at an area hospital, state police said. The investigation remains “active and ongoing” by state and local police, the release said.

The theater was on lockdown shortly after the incident, an AMC employee told CNN.

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