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FALMOUTH, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — On the night of September 19, an off-duty soldier from the Massachusetts National Guardsman allegedly took matters into his own hands and pursued a coach bus he thought to be full of migrants, only to find out the passengers were tourists heading back to their Falmouth hotel.
Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Hoffman from Joint Base Cape Cod apparently recorded the whole ordeal on Facebook Live, in which he mistakenly believed the bus was a shuttle for more migrants sent by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to Cape Cod, the Cape Cod Times reported. The bus transporting the senior citizens had a Tallahassee, Florida license plate. According to passengers, Hoffman followed the bus for ten miles until the bus reached its destination at the Admiralty Inn and Suites in East Falmouth, where there was a supposed altercation.
General Manager Eric Zmuda of the Admiralty recounted to WBZ's Tim Dunn how the entire incident played out, and said passengers onboard were terrified.
"The individual was pursuing the bus, following them as they came into town, and as the bus arrived at the hotel the individual interacted with the bus driver outside in the parking lot— trying to get their way onto the bus. It was just a very strange situation. I had a conversation with a few guests the following morning that it was an extremely unusual occurrence, but that they were happy the police were there to help," Zmuda said.
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The Mass. National Guard confirmed the reports in a statement to WBZ NewsRadio, saying follow-up action will be taken.
“The Massachusetts National Guard considers the conduct of this soldier to be inappropriate and inconsistent with our military values. We are currently working to ensure our service member is evaluated and receives any services he may need, while also reviewing appropriate disciplinary actions. The incident is currently under investigation and no further information is available at this time,” Col. Commander Mark Kalin of the Mass. Army National Guard said.
WBZ's Tim Dunn (@ConsiderMeDunn) reports.
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