Investigators say 26-year-old Jared Ravizza, of Martha’s Vineyard, made his way into the movie without paying, and then without saying anything and without warning, he attacked the girls.
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The mother of three girls who were stabbed at a movie theater along with their friend in Braintree, Massachusetts, on Saturday is talking about the horrible night and the "sick" individual who hurt them.
This whole experience has been an absolute nightmare for Lisa Dembowski, who says all three of her daughters and their friend were randomly stabbed at the AMC Braintree 10 just after 6 p.m. Saturday while they were watching the movie "If." She says she got the call from her sister that she needed to get to the cinema right away because her kids had been stabbed. She rushed there and was stunned by what she saw when police took her inside.
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"The movie theater was still open and people were like buying tickets and it was just as if, I don't know. It was crazy to me that that was still going on," she recalled to NBC10 Boston on Sunday.
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Dembowski says she immediately saw her three daughters but their friend had already been taken to the hospital. The girls, all between the ages of 9 and 17, suffered non-life threatening injuries, according to police.
Investigators say 26-year-old Jared Ravizza, of Martha's Vineyard, got into the movie without paying, and then without saying anything and without warning, attacked the girls.
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Dembowski says her girls and their friend were the only ones inside when Ravizza came up behind them.
"My oldest was leaning over to get something. [The suspect] got her in the back and then my other daughter in the top chest, and then my last daughter across her arm, laughing the whole time and then got their friend and then ran off," she revealed.
Massachusetts State Police say after fleeing the movie theater, Ravizza went to the Route 3 rest area in Plymouth and allegedly stabbed two employees working at McDonald's around 7 p.m.
"The real hero like he stepped in the way, took a stab wound, and then when I’m asking for an ambulance, saying ‘no no Nate I don’t need any help it’s only a flesh wound,'" said Nathan Vaughn, who witnessed the attack.
"Blood was just pouring out of his arm, so I was just really concerned about the woman inside but when the ambulance came and I was standing outside, she came out on a stretcher, sitting up, look aware and awake," he added.
The Plymouth County District Attorney's Office said Sunday that Ravizza reached through the McDonald's drive-thru and stabbed a 28-year-old man with a large knife. The suspect then allegedly parked his black Porsche, and went inside and stabbed a 21-year-old woman before leaving the rest area in his SUV. The man was taken to Beth Israel Deaconess-Plymouth Hospital, while the woman was taken to South Shore Hospital; both suffered non-life threatening injuries.
Detectives reviewed surveillance video from the McDonald's and learned a BOLO had been issued for Ravizza's arrest in other incidents.
A description of the suspect’s vehicle helped state police troopers locate it in Sandwich. Troopers attempted to pull the SUV over, but Ravizza failed to stop, leading police on a car chase that ended in a fiery crash, state police said.
The district attorney's office says Ravizza was arrested around 7:15 p.m. in Sandwich and taken into custody. Ravizza is currently at South Shore Hospital being treated for non-life threatening injuries.
Multiple law enforcement sources tell NBC10 Boston that Ravizza may be connected to a death investigation in Deep River, Connecticut, that got underway Saturday afternoon.
Dembowski says she's relieved Ravizza is in custody.
"I think it’s a pretty sick individual to harm children," she said.
For now, Dembowski, a high school guidance counselor, is focusing on making sure her daughters and their friend heal mentally from this nightmare.
"The two younger ones I think are just handling it I think a little better. The older one is very protective of them and she is just more worried just in general about them and how they’re gonna be doing."
Dembowski is calling her oldest daughter and her friend heroes for calming the little ones down. She says they are the ones who called police for help.
A spokesperson for AMC tells NBC10 Boston that they have multiple security features and procedures in place at all of their locations, the specifics of which they do not disclose or discuss publicly.
The spokesperson said in an email that they have already begun to conduct a thorough review of the incident, and based on employee accounts and video footage, they claim the theater team jumped into action immediately by calling emergency services and administering aid to the victims.
"We are saddened by this senseless act of violence," the theatre spokesperson said, adding that the welfare of AMC's guests and its associates is their top priority. "We are heartened to learn the victims are recovering, and we are reaching out to their families privately."
According to the AMC spokesperson, there will be a visible security presence in place at the Braintree location for the immediate future.
Meanwhile, Ravizza is expected to be in Plymouth District Court on Tuesday to face multiple charges, including assault with intent to murder. It was not immediately clear if the suspect had obtained an attorney.
An investigation by state and local police is active and ongoing.
