DA: Man stabs girlfriend in East Boston, steals and crashes her car, punches bystander

An East Boston man started the new year by going on a rampage on Princeton Street that left his girlfriend pouring blood from knife wounds in her head, neck and hand, her car and three others damaged and a man with injuries from being punched in the face, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

Erick Arevalo, 23, was ordered held in lieu of $5,000 bail at his arraignment in East Boston Municipal court today on charges that included armed assault to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery on a family or household member, the DA's office says.

According to the DA's office:

At about 12:21 a.m. Monday, Boston police responded to an apartment on Princeton Street in East Boston for a domestic violence call. Upon arrival officers found a female victim suffering from multiple lacerations to her head and neck and one of her hands.

Officers gained a description of the woman’s attacker, later identified as Arevalo, and learned that he had fled the scene in the victim’s car. Officers also learned that when driving from the scene Arevalo struck a stone wall and three parked cars. Arevalo also briefly left the vehicle and punched a second victim, who had yelled at Arevalo for striking the driveway, in the face.

According to the DA's office, police actually contacted Arevalo by phone and arrested him in Brighton.

In a statement, DA Kevin Hayden said:

This was a brutal assault, made even worse by the fact that it occurred while the victim’s children were present in the apartment. The quick work by investigators with help from those with knowledge of what happened helped make for a quick arrest.