Dudley man with shotgun surrenders after violent box cutter attack at Webster apartment

WEBSTER — On Sunday, March 1, 2026, at approximately 12:30 p.m., Webster police officers assigned to the day shift were called to investigate a report that an individual had been assaulted and cut with a box cutter.

According to the Webster Police Department, the suspect, identified as 44-year-old Jeremy Ouellette, allegedly struck the victim in the head multiple times, kicked down a door, choked the victim, and cut the victim with a box cutter, causing a small laceration to the hip.

It was reported that Ouellette was inside an apartment at the Hartley Terrace Apartment Complex and was believed to be armed with a firearm, specifically a shotgun or rifle. Webster police also reported that Ouellette “was known to be extremely violent and had been convicted of numerous firearms offenses in the past.”

Officers from the Webster Police Department’s day and evening shifts responded to the apartment complex and established a perimeter around the building.

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Officer Joshua Collins made contact with Ouellette through a security surveillance system and persuaded him to surrender, police said. Ouellette exited the building shortly afterward and was taken into custody without incident.

After the arrest, Webster police detectives obtained a search warrant for the apartment.

The Webster Police Department said Environmental Police Officer Arthur O’Connell responded to the apartment with his K-9 partner, Tonka, a certified firearms-detection dog. During the execution of the search warrant, Tonka positively alerted inside the apartment, leading officers to a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun hidden under a sofa.

Webster police said the shotgun’s serial number had been scratched off and was completely unreadable. Police also reported that Ouellette does not possess a firearms permit in any state and is a convicted felon.

According to Webster police, Ouellette was also under indictment in Worcester Superior Court at the time of his arrest for charges stemming from a 2025 incident in which he allegedly attempted to burn a house down and assaulted police officers during his arrest. Police said Ouellette had been released on bail in that case and was wearing an electronic monitoring device when the March 1 incident occurred.

Police also reported that Ouellette has previously served sentences in both state prison and the Worcester County House of Correction for firearms, robbery-related offenses, and other violent crimes.