Quincy Man Arrested For West Newton Stabbing

NEWTON (CBS) -- A Quincy man is in custody, accused of stabbing another man outside a West Newton pharmacy Monday.

Police say they received a call around 12:30 p.m. for an assault that took place outside the CVS Pharmacy on Watertown Street, about a block away from the West Newton station of the Newton Police Department.

Newton Police arrested 36-year-old Chad Michael Kirby of Quincy and charged him with assault with intent to murder. Authorities said Kirby was still at the scene when they arrived.

A CVS worker came outside to see the unidentified 53-year-old victim, just after he was stabbed near the sidewalk of the pharmacy. Other witnesses saw the suspect surrender immediately to police.

"Had his hands in the air and everything when they got to him. So at that point, I didn't see that, but I saw when they got him on the ground and they rolled him over and then  they picked him up," a witness told WBZ.

"All I heard was police say 'Get on the ground! Do as you're told!,'" Beth Hunter said.

Police told us they found the knife and collected it as evidence, along with bloody clothing that was in the street.

While Newton Police say it's too early to talk about a motive, they do say this type of incident is extremely rare here.

"This is one of the most safest areas, not only in the state, but in the country. So if it can happen here in Newton, it can happen anywhere. But to happen at 12:30 in the afternoon, we're just glad to have one suspect under arrest," Newton Police Lt. Bruce Apotheker said.

The victim was transported to a Boston hospital. The extent of his injuries is not known.

Authorities say it's unclear what prompted the assault. Police said later Monday the two men do not know each other and this could have been a random attack.

Police are contacting neighboring businesses for any surveillance video that might help in their investigation.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kendall Buhl reports