A Massachusetts National Guard soldier is accused of aggressively pursuing and harassing a tour bus full of senior citizens because he thought they were migrants sent from Florida.
Christopher Hoffman, 51, is accused of following a tour bus arriving to Cape Cod for more than 10 miles on Route 28. The pursuit is said to have started near the Bourne rotary on the night of Sept. 19 and continued into East Falmouth where the bus pulled into the parking lot of the Admiralty Inn and Suites. The hotel manager said the group of about 30-40 people stayed at the hotel and were just beginning their visit. He added that the tour bus company is based in Tallahassee and had Florida plates.
The Cape Cod Times reports Hoffman live-streamed his aggressive pursuit on Facebook where he made comments that he thought the bus was transporting migrants. He reportedly confronted the driver and the passengers in the parking lot, demanding to see who was on the bus, upset about the migrants who were sent to Martha’s Vineyard, now housed on Joint Base Cape Cod (JBCC).
The hotel manager said Falmouth police responded and Hoffman was removed from the property.
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Hoffman is serving fulltime at the 101st Regimental Training Institute on JBCC as the Administrative Officer, according to the Massachusetts Army National Guard. He has served more than 17 years of Active Federal Service. He served in Afghanistan from Jan. 2010 through Jan. 2011, and in Iraq from June 2004 through Dec. 2005.
He was off-duty, driving his own vehicle at the time of the altercation.
In a statement, the commander of the Massachusetts Army National Guard, Colonel Mark Kalin, wrote, “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."
Kalin added that the incident is currently under investigation.
Hoffman is not facing any charges.
NBC10 Boston reached out to him for comment but Hoffman did not respond to our request.
