EVERETT — The man arrested in connection with the stabbing of a 13-year-old boy in Everett on Jan. 16 had no previous connection with the teen, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Around 4 p.m. Wednesday, police arrested Andrew Freeman without incident Wednesday on a bus. He was booked into Snohomish County Jail on suspicion of felony first-degree assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the stabbing.

In a hearing Thursday, Snohomish County District Court Judge Tam Bui found probable cause for the allegation, and set his preliminary bail at $2 million.

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Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin applauded the arrest by police.

“I want to thank our police department for their dedication to getting justice for the young student that was attacked earlier this month, and I also want to commend our community and media partners for helping us amplify information about the suspect,” Franklin said. “The community plays such an important role in public safety; I encourage our residents to stay informed, be observant and ensure they know the proper channels for reporting both emergency and non-emergency situations.”

Police credit a 911 tip from an “alert community member” to locate Freeman after searching for him for nearly two weeks.

“We cannot thank the public enough for their assistance in this investigation,” said Everett Police Chief John DeRousse. “From the beginning, we relied on the public’s assistance in identifying this person. Thanks to a community member’s tip, we were able to locate our suspect.”

Around 7:45 a.m. on Jan. 16, police responded near the 2500 block of Broadway in Everett. The probable cause affadavit revealed additional details about what police believe happened that morning.

The teen told police he was walking to school and passing a Wendy’s on Broadway when a slender Black man approached him, wearing a ski mask, “skinny jeans and a gray colored sweatshirt.”

The victim said the man, later identified by police as Freeman, punched the teen in the head. In an attempt to escape, the victim ran across Broadway toward Henry’s Donuts. As he was running, the boy fell down when the suspect stabbed him multiple times, according to the probable cause statement.

Police said the boy was able to escape and run to North Middle School for help.

Everett Fire transported the victim to Providence Regional Medical Center Everett and later to the pediatric intensive care unit at Harborview Medical Center with multiple stab wounds.

During the ensuing investigation, Everett police retrieved video footage from Wendy’s and Henry’s that showed the attack play out.

Less than one hour after the stabbing, Freeman, who had yet to be identified by police as a person of interest, was booked into Snohomish County Jail on an unrelated charge.

Before police identified him as a suspect in the stabbing, Freeman was released the next day from jail.

Bodycam footage from this arrest showed Freeman wearing the same clothing as the suspect in the last security footage found from the time of the assault.

On Jan. 19, police publicly identified Freeman as a person of interest.

Reporter Will Geschke contributed to this story.

Michael Henneke: 425-339-3431; michael.henneke@heraldnet.com; X: @ihenpecked.

Jenna Peterson: 425-339-3486; jenna.peterson@heraldnet.com; X: @jennarpetersonn.