Man Stabbed on S Smallwood Street in Carrollton Ridge

A 28-year-old man suffered multiple stab wounds to the back in the 300 block of S Smallwood Street on the night of April 7, adding another violent incident to a stretch of Carrollton Ridge where a man was fatally shot outside his home just three years ago and another man was stabbed near Ramsay Street in a separate attack.

Officers from the Baltimore Police Department's Southwest District responded around 9:30 p.m. and found the victim with several cut wounds. He was transported to a local hospital and was listed in non-life-threatening condition. Police had no suspect information and no established motive as of initial reports, leaving open whether the attack was targeted or random.

The block's recent history is stark. Charles Rheubottom, 41, was shot and killed outside his home in the 400 block of S Smallwood Street in March 2022, one of 15 homicides recorded in Carrollton Ridge that year alone. That figure outpaced every other Baltimore neighborhood for the third consecutive year, exceeding Frankford by five deaths. The neighborhood, home to approximately 1,737 residents in a largely renter-occupied rowhouse community, has been described by Associated Black Charities as carrying "the weight of structural disinvestment, systemic neglect, generational poverty and what residents consider political disregard," as well as "housing insecurity, joblessness, proliferation of vacant and collapsing properties, and the rise in youth violence."

Citywide numbers tell a more hopeful story. The Baltimore Police Department's 2024 year-end figures show homicides fell 23 percent, from 261 to 201, and non-fatal shootings dropped 34 percent, from 635 to 414. "Creating a safer Baltimore remains our top priority," Commissioner Richard Worley said in January 2025. The city logged 12 murders and 34 non-fatal shootings in March 2025. Those reductions have not fully reached S Smallwood Street, where CityBeat Church at 535 S. Smallwood St., led by Executive Director and Pastor Jared Michael, continues to serve as a neighborhood anchor. Community activist Cynthia Tensley, who has organized "Vigil for Life" events in Carrollton Ridge, and the Carrollton Ridge Community Association remain active on the ground.

Anyone with information about Monday night's cutting, including doorbell or security camera footage from the surrounding blocks, can submit an anonymous tip to Metro Crime Stoppers of Maryland at 1-866-7LOCKUP (1-866-756-2587) or through metrocrimestoppers.org. Callers are eligible for cash rewards of up to $2,000 and their identities are protected; the program does not use caller ID or record calls. The BPD's Victim Services Unit provides dedicated coordinators for non-fatal assault victims and can be reached through baltimorepolice.org/victim-services-unit. The University of Maryland's Violence Intervention Program at R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center offers direct outreach to patients injured by violence, including stabbings; anyone with a loved one being treated can ask a nurse for a VIP referral. Safe Streets Baltimore, Mayor Brandon Scott's evidence-based conflict-mediation program, logged 1,752 mediated conflicts across its 10 citywide sites in 2025 and remains an active resource for residents wanting to interrupt brewing tensions before they escalate.