Pickup Truck Driver Stabbed After Trying To Run Down 2 Men, 4 Arrested: Johnston Cops

JOHNSTON, RI — A wild night in Johnston ended with two men dodging a pickup, shots fired and the truck driver suffering a stab wound, police said.

Four men were arrested — including the stabbed driver — in connection with the Jan. 17 incident on Starr Street, the Johnston Police Department said in a media release.

The driver, 25-year-old Nehthan Mercado of Pawtucket, had "accelerated his vehicle towardtwo individuals standing along the side of Starr Street" about 3 a.m. on Jan. 17, according to the release.

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"Both individuals were able to evade being struck by the vehicle," the release said.

"Mercado then traveled west on Starr Street, made a U-turn, and proceeded back east," according to the release. "At that time, a single gunshot was fired, originating from the front exterior area of 15 Starr Street."

Mercado stopped the pickup and exited the vehicle, according to the release.

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"A group of individuals then approached and surrounded Mercado on the driver's side of the vehicle while the driver's door was open, and an altercation ensued," the release said.

During the altercation, one of the men Mercado had tried to run over, 28-year-old Yoniel Perez of Providence, stepped up and stabbed Mercado, who then fled in the pickup as more shots were fired at him, according to the release.

Officers sent to investigate a report of shots fired "encountered several individuals in the roadway who were uncooperative and stated they did not witness or hear anything related to the reported gunfire," the release said.

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The disabled pickup was later located in the area of Randall Street and Greene Avenue in Cranston with a wounded Mercado, who "had been in possession of crack cocaine and Adderall," still inside, according to the release.

Mercado was treated at a local hospital and has survived the stabbing, the release said.

A week and a half later, Mercado and Perez were "apprehended by the Rhode Island Violent Fugitive Task Force on Johnston Police Department arrest warrants," according to the release.

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Mercado was charged with felony assault, felony and misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance, reckless driving, and disorderly conduct, the release said, and Perez was charged with felony assault and disorderly conduct,

On Monday, a third man, Randy Hiraldo Acosta, 22, of Providence, surrendered to police and was arrested on a warrant charging him with disorderly conduct, according to the release, and the following day, a fourth man, 28-year-old Giovanni Pena of Providence, also surrendered and was arrested on a warrant charging him with disorderly conduct.

"This investigation remains active and ongoing," the release said. "Detectives continue to review evidence and follow up on additional leads."

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