‘Scared for my life’: Victim describes moment man allegedly attacked him at lake
By Jamy Pombo Sesselman, Ted Wayman, Arielle Mitropoulos
Click here for updates on this story
HOPKINTON, Massachusetts (WCVB) — A Hopkinton, Massachusetts, man was charged with attempted murder after he allegedly held a man who walks with crutches under water during an altercation over the use of a residents-only lake Wednesday, police said.
Steven Dana, 70, was charged with an attempt to murder, two counts of strangulation/suffocation, and assault and battery on a disabled person.
He was held without bail at his arraignment at Framingham District Court on Thursday.
Prosecutors allege Dana started a fight with a 21-year-old man at Sandy Beach on Lakeshore Drive just before 7 p.m. after he confronted the victim about his use of Lake Maspenock.
The only boat ramp to the lake, which straddles Hopkinton and Milford, is on Lakeshore Drive, and use of the ramp is limited to Hopkinton residents from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, police said.
Speaking with NewsCenter 5, the victim, Matthew Duffy, said he feared for his life.
“I was so scared for my life because I can’t fight back, I broke practically everything and this guy’s on top of me under the water, I can’t see what’s going on, I can’t fight back,” Duffy said.
According to a Hopkinton police report, Dana shouted at a group of young men that it was “time to go,” referring to the group riding a jet ski on the lake.
The group and Dana shout back and forth, with Dana eventually walking up to the group to confront them, according to officials.
“Are you going to beat up a cripple?” one of Duffy’s friends reportedly asked Dana.
“I don’t care, I’ll take a cripple.” Dana responded, according to the report.
New video provided by one of Duffy’s friends shows the full confrontation.
Police reviewed video footage that appeared to show Dana slapping Duffy across the face before they ended up in a struggle in the water, at which point Dana forcefully held Duffy under the water, officials said.
Bystanders then pulled Dana off of Duffy.
“This is an incident of senseless violence that could have had tragic results, and we treat matters like this with the utmost seriousness,” Deputy Police Chief Scott van Raalten said. “The Hopkinton Police Department asks that residents contact the proper authorities to investigate incidents that involve the enforcement of the town’s bylaws rather than taking matters into their own hands.”
Dana and Duffy declined medical treatment, although Duffy told NewsCenter 5 he was going to get himself checked out at the hospital.
Officials learned that the 21-year-old had been involved in an accident a few months prior that caused severe injuries and that he was walking on crutches.
Prosecutors said Dana has an extensive criminal history going back to the 1990s where he used aliases. He will be held on bail pending a dangerousness hearing on Friday.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.