Police say they have made an arrest in the stabbing of an 82-year-old man in Provincetown, Massachusetts on Thursday.
Aaron Mrowka, 29, of Provincetown, is charged with assault with intent to murder and aggravated assault and battery of a person over 60.
"This is an incredibly safe town," said Provincetown resident Annette Andruss. "It is a really tight community and people were very disturbed by it."
Police said the attack appears to have been random.
"I was sort of stunned because I've lived here for quite a few years and nothing like that has ever happened," Andruss said.
David Panagore, Provincetown's town manager, said residents and business owners were calling with tips and surveillance within minutes of the attack.
Panagore said the tips led to the arrest of Mrowka on Friday.
Local
In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area.
"The feeling in town? Relief that he was able to be arrested quickly," Panagore said.
But one Provincetown resident said she still has questions.
"I would like to hear the whole story," she said. "I would like to be the judge, and the jury, and the executioner."
Mrowka was arraigned in Orleans District Court on Friday and ordered held without bail. He will be back in court on Tuesday.
Police stressed that there is no ongoing threat to the community now that Mrowka is in custody.
Officers were called to an area of Commercial Street at 5:55 p.m. Thursday, where the victim said he was attacked by a bicyclist who then took off. Police said the victim was bleeding from the side of his neck and lower back after the suspect used a box cutter to attack him.
The victim, whose name has not been released, was taken to Cape Cod Hospital for treatment. His injuries are not considered life-threatening.
Authorities said the bike the suspect fled on was later abandoned and recovered by police.
The motive of the stabbing is unknown.
