Three women were stabbed Monday night in Medford, Massachusetts, and police have arrested the man believed to be the attacker, according to authorities.
Police responded to a home on Doane Road just after 9 p.m. Monday. Jace Cherchi is accused of stabbing his mother and sister.
Another woman, neighbor Deanna Sharpe, intervened in the incident and was also attacked.
"She heard the neighbor screaming and she went over to see what was going on," Sharpe's mother, Laurine Squillante, told NBC10 Boston Tuesday.
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Squillante says her daughter had only stepped out to smoke a cigarette, and minutes later, it was chaos.
"I just heard her screaming, 'Ma, ma,' there was trails of blood going all the way up to the second floor," said Squillante. "She said, 'Call an ambulance, call an ambulance, Jace stabbed me.'"
Cherchi's uncle, Alfredo Vilar, said the 22-year-old doesn't have a history of violence, and he doesn't know why his nephew would do this.
"He's never been violent," Vilar said. "There's never been any red flags of violence."
He said Cherchi first attacked his mother in the driveway, stabbing her in the head multiple times.
"Jace started beating her and he stabbed her in the neck," Vilar said.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
According to Vilar and court documents, his sister tried to use a shovel to get him to stop, but she was stabbed several times in the head.
When Sharpe tried to stop the attack, Cherchi allegedly stabbed her in the abdomen and arm.
"He doesn't have a mental defect," said Vilar. "His defect is the drugs he puts in his body that make him hallucinate."
Cherchi's sister told investigators he "looked possessed, like a demon, and I thought he was going to take me hostage and kill me."
Sharpe underwent emergency surgery. Her mother says she’s a hero for stepping in.
"I'm glad she did it and that she's alive," Squillante said. "I'm proud of her, very proud of her."
Cherchi escaped just before police arrived. He was found at South Station in Boston with two pairs of scissors and a knife.
He appeared in court Tuesday. Charges against him include assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a person over 60, kidnapping and witness intimidation. He was sent for a mental health evaluation instead of being arraigned.
The overnight investigation sparked concern among residents of the neighborhood. As of Tuesday morning, police had cleared the scene.
On Monday night, though, Medford police were seen blocking off a section of that road with police tape, as investigators focused their work on a home there with a red door. The investigation took place after 9 p.m.
Officers were also seen placing evidence markers on the street and interviewing neighbors.
One of the neighbors said he heard screaming and a commotion outside, followed by police rushing to the scene.
"We all just kind of looked in to see what's up," Benjamin Javier said. "We're a pretty tightknit neighborhood, so we all keep contact and everything, but eventually cops came on scene. They were flying like 60 miles per hour."
