Fall River ex-mayor stabbing suspect charged with attacking police

A suspect in the stabbing of former Fall River Mayor Will Flanagan was ordered held without bail Tuesday after he was accused of attacking the police officers who detained him. 

Corree Gonzales, 31, faces four counts of assault and battery on a police officer, court records show. Fall River police allege Gonzales assaulted the officers who detained him Tuesday morning in connection with the stabbing investigation. 

He has not yet been charged in connection with Monday’s attack on Flanagan. Boston.com has contacted his attorney for comment. 

Judge Heath Antonio ordered Gonzales held without bail pending a mental health evaluation to determine whether he is competent to stand trial. Gonzales is due back in court Wednesday morning. 

Antonio also allowed prosecutors’ motion to impound the police report for his charges of assault and battery on a police officer. 

“As reasons therefore, the investigation into the stabbing described in the report is active and ongoing and the release of these details could impede the investigation,” Assistant District Attorney Gillian Kirsch wrote in the request. 

Fall River police previously said emergency crews responded to the 100 block of Hartwell Street around 5 p.m. Monday following multiple calls about a stabbing. Flanagan, the CEO of nearby Cosmopolitan Dispensary, was rushed to a local hospital with significant injuries. 

He was in serious but stable condition as of Monday night, according to police. Flanagan previously served as the city’s mayor between 2010 and 2014.

Fall River police did not say how Flanagan and Gonzales were connected, if at all. Online court records indicate Gonzales has a string of criminal cases in Fall River dating back to 2013, with charges including assault with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery, trespassing, and larceny, among other offenses.

“We would like to thank our officers and detectives for their tenacity and commitment in swiftly apprehending Corree Gonzales and ensuring the safety of our community,” the Fall River Police Department said in a statement Tuesday.

Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, health, and everything in between.