Fall River Police Debunk Viral Social Media Reports of Machete Attack

FALL RIVER (WBSM) — Fall River Police are dispelling online chatter about a supposed machete attack in the city on Sunday morning and reminding citizens that scanner reports are not always accurate.

Just before 10 a.m. on July 5, a scanner report indicated that a person had been attacked with a machete near Bicentennial Park. Audio of that scanner report was shared on social media by an account that posts local news stories.

In the audio, a dispatcher says “a male was assaulted with a machete” in the area of the park.

According to a Fall River Police Facebook post, the person who reported the incident came into the police station about an hour after the alleged incident. “At the time the report was made, the ‘victim’ was suspected to be under the influence of alcohol,” police said.

Police Investigation Finds Conflicting Witness Accounts

However, police said the serious nature of the allegations still led to an investigation. Officers responded to Remington Avenue, where the supposed incident took place, and interviewed several witnesses. They said once officers spoke to the witnesses, it was “determined that the facts did not support the original allegation” of a machete attack.

“Witness statements conflicted with the reporting party's account, and investigators found no evidence that a machete was involved,” police said. “The investigation determined that the incident was a verbal argument between individuals who know each other.”

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While falsely reported crimes usually don’t warrant a statement from the authorities, police said they thought it was “important” to give an update because of how much the “machete attack” story had circulated.

“We felt it was important to share the outcome of this investigation to put the public at ease as this particular incident was being circulated through social media,” police said. “After several hours of investigative work, officers determined that no crime had occurred, and no criminal charges were filed.”

Authorities Warn Scanner Reports Are Not Final Facts

Police also warned about the dangers of taking what is reported over the scanner as fact until the situation has been thoroughly investigated.

“As a reminder, what you hear over the police scanner is often the beginning of an investigation, not the end of one,” police said. “Many times incidents reported to the police are not what the actual outcome is once our officers gather the facts.”