Former Mayor Will Flanagan of Fall River in Democratic-controlled Massachusetts was stabbed multiple times in the neck Monday evening outside his cannabis dispensary in a brutal attack caught on surveillance video.
Flanagan, 45, was walking near the story his owned around 5 p.m. when a man ran up from behind and attacked him, video shows. The suspect made striking motions toward Flanagan’s head and neck area before the former mayor collapsed to the ground.
Flanagan managed to stand up after the attack and stumbled toward the nearby apartment entrance while the suspect ran off. He underwent surgery at St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford and remains in serious but stable condition.
Warning: This is graphic.
Surveillance video shows the moment the former mayor of Fall River, Will Flanagan, was stabbed on a city sidewalk.
A suspect, Corree Gonzales, 31, was arrested after he was detained in connection with Flanagan's stabbing.https://t.co/jY8S2SXHkH pic.twitter.com/jdcCTPxD2G
— WCVB-TV Boston (@WCVB) October 22, 2025
“A couple of stab wounds in the neck and a smack in the head. It was very, very bad,” Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan said after visiting Flanagan in the hospital Tuesday.
Police arrested Corree Gonzales, 31, Tuesday morning in connection with the stabbing. Gonzales allegedly assaulted multiple police officers during his arrest, resulting in four additional charges of assault and battery on a police officer.
Gonzales pleaded not guilty during his arraignment Tuesday. Judge Heath Antonio ordered him held without bail and to undergo a mental health evaluation to assess his competency to stand trial. He is due back in court Wednesday.
“Some severe mental health issues,” Coogan said about the suspect. “I don’t even know if he knew who the person was who he was attacking.”
Gonzales has a long criminal record with charges reportedly including assault with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery, trespassing, larceny, failing to provide a DNA sample, interfering with a police officer, affray, distributing a class A drug, and receiving a stolen motor vehicle, court records show.
In 2019, Gonzales reportedly pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and received a year’s probation. Police reports from that case stated his mother told officers Gonzales had suffered from mental illness since he was 15 years old. Court documents describe a history of violent outbursts and mental health issues.
Gonzales has been listed as homeless in recent court paperwork.
Flanagan served as the Democratic mayor of Fall River from 2010 until 2014, when he faced a recall election. His opponents were furious over layoffs in the Fire Department and a pay-as-you-throw trash program. He was ousted from office in December 2014 after a recall forced an election.
In 2014, Flanagan was accused of showing a gun to one of his political rivals, Jasiel Correia, according to reports.