By DONNA KENNY KIRWAN

CENTRAL FALLS — A war of words over a text message that escalated into a fight between two groups of youths resulted in the stabbing of an 18-year-old Lincoln man on Broad Street on Tuesday night.

According to Central Falls Police Capt. James Mendonca, of the Detectives Division, a 17-year-old city boy was arrested as the suspect in the attack. He was scheduled to be arraigned today in Family Court on charges of felony assault, Mendonca said.
Mendonca said the victim, identified as Evan Botelho, of Lincoln, received a severe knife wound to the back and was transported to Rhode Island Hospital. He was last reported to be in stable condition.
Mendonca said that police received a 911 call at around 8:46 p.m. to respond to a multi-family house at 663 Broad St. for a report of a large disturbance and a stabbing. They found the injured Botelho lying on the sidewalk outside the house near the Navigant Credit Union, he said.
A group of about a dozen teens had been gathered outside the house and had been involved in a verbal confrontation leading up to the attack. When police arrived at the house, the teens scattered.
According to police, detectives developed information from interviews with witnesses which led them to obtain a search warrant for 663 Broad St., Apt. #1. Inside the apartment, a knife was located that was consistent with the one that was used in the stabbing. In addition, a witness positively identified a 17-year-old resident of this apartment, who was brought in to police headquarter, along with his father, for questioning.
The suspect was ordered held at the Training School, pending his arraignment.
In addition, three other males were arrested and charged in connection with this offense, police said. Two were juveniles and the one adult was John Hazard, 18, of Central Falls, police said.
Mendonca said it appears that the incident was sparked by a harassing text message that had been sent to a female. He said that the female had reportedly turned to family friends, who had decided to confront the individuals allegedly involved in the text messaging.
However, Mendonca said that Botelho and the suspect did not know each other and neither had sent the text messages. He said that from what police have been able to gather, Botelho had been among a group of friends of the female who had received the harassing text messages. He said, however, that while there are suspects in custody, the investigation is still ongoing.
The stabbing and subsequent police investigation into the incident prompted police to shut down a portion of Broad Street for almost two hours and to re-route traffic.