A retired Massachusetts State Police captain was attacked outside a courthouse in Dedham, Massachusetts, Monday after pleading guilty to a charge that stemmed from the death of a teenager at his home in 2021, sources tell the NBC10 Boston Investigators.
Dedham Police responded to what they described as a "physical altercation" outside Dedham District Court on Monday around 10:30 a.m.
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Sources tell NBC10 Boston that James Coughlin - who is a former state police captain - was involved in that altercation as he was leaving court and getting into a car. Coastal Ambulance responded to the scene to evaluate two injured people, but they refused transport to the hospital for further evaluation. It is not yet clear who else was involved.
“It was a sneak attack from behind.”
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The Coughlin’s attorney Brian Kelly said he witnessed the attack, and says he saw three people pummel Coughlin in the middle of the street, punching him in the head and kicking him as well.
“They circled up, attacked him from behind, knocked him to the ground and repeatedly struck him, almost looked like a coordinated attack.”
He said a retired state trooper intervened and he too was injured.
The assailants took off before police arrived.
Coughlin and his wife Leslie Coughlin had just reached a disagreed plea for charges against them in the death of 17-year-old Alonzo Polk.
The teen drowned at the couple’s home in June 2021 at a graduation party for their daughter where alcohol was being consumed. The Coughlin’s attorney told the court that Polk didn’t know how to swim and that he was pushed into the pool. He later died at the hospital.
Polk’s family has been demanding justice for the young man. This morning, according to the Norfolk County District Attorney's Office, the couple pled guilty to furnishing alcohol to a minor and admitted to sufficient facts for a probable finding of guilt on the charge of reckless endangerment to a child. They were given suspended sentences and probation, and will have to complete community service hours.
NBC10 Boston went to the Coughlin’s home for comment, but there was no answer at the door. We also spoke with Alonzo Polk’s aunt, but she declined to comment.
Police said they are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the altercation, and asked anyone who witnessed it to call them at 781-326-1212.
No further information was immediately available.
