Senior skip day for Fall River area and Rhode Island students erupts into violence at 2 local beaches, 9 arrests made from Fall River, Medway

Local seniors enjoying a hot day at the beach as part of Senior Skip Day were running for cover after violence erupted at 2 local beaches and resulted in over a half dozen arrests of Fall River residents.

According to Middletown, RI Police, on Tuesday, at approximately 12:45 p.m., the Middletown Police Department became aware of a gathering of approximately 1,200 high school-aged individuals at Sachuest (Second) Beach near the main pavilion. Officers responded to the area, established a visible presence, and began monitoring the crowd’s behavior. 

At approximately 2:20 p.m., two officers observed a male acting disorderly toward others in the group and quickly took him into custody. A second male subject then assaulted the officers, causing the crowd to become increasingly disorderly and aggressive while encircling the officers as they attempted to escort the two individuals off the beach. After multiple subjects refused repeated commands to disperse, officers deployed pepper spray to create distance and restore control of the situation. 

A total of 16 Middletown Police Officers and 20 Newport Police Officers responded to assist with dispersing the large crowd. During the dispersal, several individuals were arrested in the parking lot for disorderly conduct and obstructing officers after refusing to leave the area. 

In a separate incident during the dispersal, a suspect attempting to flee the parking lot in a vehicle struck a Newport Police Officer, causing injuries. The suspect later admitted to operating the vehicle under the influence of alcohol. The injured officer was transported to Newport Hospital by the Middletown Fire Department.

Those charged include:

Ronan Pinkham – 18-year-old male – Medway, Massachusetts 

• Felony Assault 

DUI- 1st Offense 

Gabriela Ruiz – 18-year-old female – Fall River, Massachusetts 

• Disorderly Conduct 

Obstructing an Officer in the Execution of Duty 

Sofia Flynn – 18-year-old female – Fall River, Massachusetts 

• Simple Assault 

• Disorderly Conduct 

• Obstructing an Officer in the Execution of Duty 

Christian Cautilli – 18-year-old male – Medway, Massachusetts 

• Disorderly Conduct 

• Obstructing an Officer in the Execution of Duty 

Januel Medina – 19-year-old male – Fall River, Massachusetts 

• Disorderly Conduct 

17–year–old male – Fall, River, Massachusetts 

Simple Assault 

Disorderly Conduct 

• Obstructing an Officer in the Execution of Duty 

17–year–old female – Fall River, Massachusetts 

• Disorderly Conduct 

• Obstructing an Officer in the Execution of Duty 

17–year–old female – Fall River, Massachusetts 

Disorderly Conduct 

Obstructing an Officer in the Execution of Duty 

17–year–old male – Fall River, Massachusetts 

Simple Assault 

Disorderly Conduct 

• Obstructing an Officer in the Execution of Duty

Also, according to Police Chief Kyle Rekas, on Tuesday at just after 3:00 p.m., the Narragansett Police Department received calls about numerous people who had possibly been stabbed at the Narragansett Town Beach. Narragansett Police responded along with Narragansett Fire/Rescue and located three victims all who had suffered minor stab wounds. They were treated on scene and all three were transported to local hospitals with minor injuries. 

There are currently no suspects at this time, and the case is still actively under investigation. 

Due to the chaos on scene with hundreds of people attempting to leave the beach at the same time, several other small disturbances broke out. Mutual aid was received from numerous agencies to include Rhode Island State Police, South Kingstown Police, North Kingstown Police and Rhode Island DEM. 

Two adults were arrested on charges to include simple assault, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and obstruction of justice. These arrests do not appear to be related to the stabbings. 

If anyone has any information on the Narragansett Town Beach matter, please contact the Narragansett Police Detective Division at (401) 789-1091 ext. 305.