Joshua Flores faces multiple felony charges after detectives linked his Thursday arrest to three men stabbed days earlier, police said.
BOSTON — A 24-year-old Brighton man arrested after police responded to reports of someone swinging a machete on a city street was later charged in connection with a triple stabbing that wounded three men days earlier, Boston police said.
Joshua Flores was arrested Thursday afternoon after officers and detectives responded at about 4:54 p.m. to the area of Leo M. Birmingham Parkway and Waverly Street in Brighton. Police said detectives later developed probable cause to charge him in the Oct. 4 stabbing near Cambridge Street and Harvard Avenue.
Police said officers found Flores in front of 444 Western Ave. and ordered him to drop the large knife. He complied, and investigators recovered a machete from the sidewalk, according to the department. Officers also reported finding a folding knife with reddish-brown stains in the front right pocket of his pants.
Flores initially faced charges of carrying a dangerous weapon and disturbing the peace. The investigation then turned to an attack reported at about 1:30 a.m. Sunday, when officers responding near Cambridge Street and Harvard Avenue found three adult men suffering from stab wounds.
Boston EMS took all three men to local hospitals. Police initially described their injuries as not life-threatening. CBS Boston later reported that all three had been released from the hospital and were expected to recover.
Court records described by CBS Boston provided additional details about the encounter before the stabbing. The three victims told investigators they had been returning home from a party when they saw a man across the street. One of them called out to ask whether they should walk or ride their bicycles home because they had been drinking, according to the report.
The victims told police that the man then began yelling before stabbing them. CBS Boston reported that court documents also describe an alleged admission by Flores in which he said he had stabbed each person once. The allegation has not been proven in court.
Police said 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 Sunday attack. Those charges are in addition to the counts stemming from his Thursday arrest.
Flores was arraigned in Brighton District Court and ordered held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing. Boston.com reported that the hearing is scheduled for Oct. 15. It was not immediately clear from the reviewed reports whether an attorney representing Flores had issued a statement.
Author note: Last updated October 10, 2026.