Background: Cellphone footage of the fight that resulted in the arrest of Steven Dana (Benjamin Osmanovic/WBZ). Inset: News footage of Steven Dana in court on June 4 (WBZ).
This alarming confrontation took place on a Wednesday and quickly drew the attention of the Hopkinton Police Department. Officers responded to an urgent call just before 7 p.m., only to discover upon arrival that the entire incident had been recorded on video, offering crucial evidence.
The altercation reportedly began when Dana confronted 21-year-old Matt Duffy, along with his friends, over their use of the town’s boat ramp. The ramp, as per local regulations, is restricted to residents of Hopkinton, Massachusetts. The situation escalated after Dana approached the group, as captured in a video by Duffy’s friend, Benjamin Osmanovic. In the footage, Dana can be heard telling them, “It’s time to go.”
Events took a violent turn when Dana descended a hill to confront Duffy, who was using crutches due to injuries from a motorcycle accident. The video, cited by police, shows Dana slapping Duffy across the face, tackling him to the ground, and then allegedly holding him underwater in a forceful manner.
Dana then came down a hill and confronted Duffy, who was using crutches at the time after sustaining injuries in a motorcycle crash. In the video, police said Dana was seen slapping Duffy in the face before tackling him to the ground and “forcefully holding” him underwater.
Duffy told WBZ, “I couldn’t use either of my arms or my leg as they were both broken, and I was just praying that he let go or my friends pull him off of me.” Duffy’s friends were able to pull Dana off of him, and police viewed Osmanovic’s video when they arrived. Dana was placed under arrest.
As of Thursday, Dana was still in custody at the Hopkinton Police Department and was being held without bail. He was scheduled to be arraigned in court on Friday. His next court date was not available.