QUINCY, Mass. — A Massachusetts State trooper accused of beating an off-duty trooper at a Quincy waterfront restaurant has met the requirements to avoid traditional prosecution.
According to investigators, officers responded to ReelHouse Marina Bay shortly before midnight after a 911 caller reported that a man had been punched in the face and knocked unconscious. When officers arrived, a man was holding ice to his face but declined to provide details about what happened and refused transport to a hospital.
Investigators later learned that both the alleged victim and the accused were Massachusetts State Police employees. Police say a video of the incident had begun circulating on social media by the following day.
Witnesses told investigators that Regan appeared increasingly agitated during an evening out with his colleague and a woman who was sitting between them at the bar. A bartender told police the two men initially appeared to be having a normal conversation, but tension escalated shortly before the alleged assault.
The bartender said she saw Regan get out of his chair and punch the other trooper in the head multiple times with a closed fist. She told police the victim appeared unconscious for about two minutes after falling from his chair.
Investigators reviewed surveillance video and reported that it showed Regan pulling the victim from his chair before striking him approximately five times in the head. Police said he appeared unconscious as staff and patrons rushed to help.
A bar employee who called 911 told police he observed the aftermath of the altercation and said the trooper suffered severe facial swelling and was bleeding from the mouth.
A judge agreed that Christopher Regan meets the criteria for the Brave Act. It allows veterans charged with certain first-time offenses to enter a VA-approved treatment program instead of facing prosecution.
Regan’s lawyer said he has completed a 30-day inpatient program and is currently in an intensive outpatient program.
He will not be arraigned for another 30 days.
Regan is scheduled to appear in court again in October.
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