Joshua Flores faces multiple felony charges after three men were stabbed in Brighton days before police arrested him on Western Avenue.
BOSTON, MA — A 24-year-old Brighton man arrested after police responded to reports of someone swinging a large knife has been charged in connection with a triple stabbing that injured three men several days earlier, according to Boston police and court reporting.
Joshua Flores faces three counts of armed assault with intent to murder, three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury and two counts of mayhem in connection with the Oct. 4 stabbing. He was also charged with carrying a dangerous weapon and disturbing the peace following his arrest Oct. 8. A judge ordered Flores held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing scheduled for Oct. 15.
Boston police said officers and detectives assigned to District D-14 responded at about 4:54 p.m. Oct. 8 to a report of a person swinging a large knife near Leo M. Birmingham Parkway and Waverly Street in Brighton. Officers located Flores in front of 444 Western Ave. and ordered him to drop the knife. Police said he complied and was taken into custody.
Investigators recovered what police described as a large machete from the sidewalk. Police said officers also found a folding knife with reddish-brown stains in Flores’ front right pants pocket. Authorities have not publicly disclosed testing that would establish what caused the staining or whether the folding knife has been conclusively linked to the earlier stabbing.
The stabbing under investigation happened at about 1:30 a.m. Oct. 4 near Cambridge Street and Harvard Avenue. Officers responding to a report of a stabbing found three adult men suffering from wounds, police said. Boston EMS transported all three to local hospitals. Their injuries were initially described as not life-threatening.
Police said detectives developed probable cause after Flores’ arrest to charge him in the earlier attack. CBS Boston, citing court documents, reported that the three victims had been returning home from a party when they encountered the man authorities accuse of attacking them. The station also reported that court records describe statements Flores allegedly made to investigators about the stabbing. Those allegations have not been proven in court.
Authorities have not announced a motive for the attack. Police also have not publicly identified the three victims. CBS Boston reported Friday that all three had been released from the hospital and were expected to recover fully.
Flores was arraigned in Brighton District Court on Friday. Judge Shelley Joseph ordered him held without bail pending the dangerousness hearing, according to Boston.com. It was not immediately clear from available reporting whether an attorney representing Flores had issued a statement on the charges.
The case remains pending in Brighton District Court. Flores is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty, and investigators have not announced whether additional charges or evidence will be presented before his scheduled Oct. 15 hearing.
Author note: Last updated October 10, 2026.