LEOMINSTER — On the evening of Sunday, March 29, 2026, Officer Braden Carlson of the Leominster Police Department was dispatched to UMass Memorial HealthAlliance Hospital’s Leominster Campus on Hospital Road following reports of a disorderly man.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Braden Carlson for the incident and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
“Upon my arrival, I could immediately see a large group of people right inside of the emergency room doors,” Officer Carlson said. “I immediately exited my cruiser and entered the hospital. I saw a man being pinned to the floor by three security guards as well as three nurses. While walking up, one of the nurses told me the man had hit his wife and became irate in the waiting area. I went over and grabbed the man’s left wrist.”
At around this time, Officers Garrett Hardy and Michael Dingman arrived on scene to assist.
Officer Carlson said the man on the ground — later identified as Brian Cook — began yelling at police and security personnel, telling them to “go f*ck themselves.”
According to police, Brian J. Cook, 48, is a resident of Clinton, MA.
“It was immediately apparent to me that Mr. Cook was under the influence of alcohol,” Officer Carlson said. “He was extremely aggressive, slurring his speech, had bloodshot and glassy eyes and smelled strongly of alcohol.”
Officer Hardy then took control of Cook’s right wrist while Officer Carlson secured Cook’s left wrist in handcuffs.
Officer Carlson said most of those in the waiting area were looking in their direction due to the scene Cook was causing, and that young children were also present.
“I witnessed multiple people move seats due to Mr. Cook’s behavior,” Officer Carlson added. “We then sat Mr. Cook up where he was then handcuffed. We then stood him up and double-cuffed Mr. Cook.”
Officer Carlson noted that after checking the handcuffs for proper fit and tightness before double-locking them, Cook yelled “f*ck you” at a security guard.
“We then escorted Mr. Cook to a cruiser outside. On the walk to the cruiser, he continuously yelled and swore at us, causing a disturbance in the parking lot,” Officer Carlson said. “I observed two people in the lot stop walking and stare at us escorting Mr. Cook due to his loud behavior. Upon our arrival to the patrol vehicle, Mr. Cook repeatedly tried to turn around. Mr. Cook then began refusing to enter the cruiser. He then sat down but would not put his feet into the vehicle. Officer Hardy and I took his legs and pushed them into the cruiser.”
Officer Carlson said he buckled Cook in before closing the door of the cruiser.
“He continued yelling at us after the door was closed,” Officer Carlson said. “Mr. Cook was then transported to the Leominster Police Department for booking, while I stayed on scene to finish my investigation.”
Officer Carlson then went to speak with the security guards who originally detained Cook.
The security guard, Van Thomas, told Officer Carlson that Cook had accompanied his wife to the hospital earlier in the day when she came in as a patient.
“Mr. Thomas told me that Mr. Cook was fine all day, but, shortly prior to police arrival, security was told that he had struck his wife,” Officer Carlson said. “Mr. Thomas told me that his wife did not want him to get in trouble and did not wish to report the incident so they did not call the police. Mr. Cook’s wife just wanted him to leave.”
Thomas said security then escorted Cook to the waiting area, where he was given a taxi voucher to return home because he was intoxicated.
While waiting for the taxi, Thomas said Cook came up to him and asked to be let back in to see his wife.
“Mr. Thomas told him that she does not wish to see him,” Officer Carlson said. “Mr. Cook then became irate and began yelling at Mr. Thomas.”
Thomas said that during the encounter, he was positioned in front of the emergency department’s double doors when Cook began yelling at him and attempted to force his way past him.
“Mr. Thomas then pushed Mr. Cook back,” Officer Carlson said. “Mr. Cook then came at him again. This is when Mr. Thomas and the other security guards brought Mr. Cook to the ground. Mr. Cook began fighting with them while on the ground and a few nurses came out to help restrain Mr. Cook. They then called the police after successfully restraining Mr. Cook.”
Officer Carlson said that at that time, Sergeant James McKenna arrived on scene to assist, and that he and Sergeant McKenna then went to speak with Cook’s wife, who was still a patient at the hospital.
“[Cook’s wife] immediately asked me for details about what had happened,” Officer Carlson said. “I explained to her that Mr. Cook had been arrested. I then asked her to tell me about what had taken place. She told me she had a stroke earlier today and that brought them to the hospital. She stated they were at the hospital for most of the day when Mr. Cook left to get himself some dinner. She told me he had been gone for awhile and when he returned she could tell he had been drinking. This made [Cook’s wife] angry. She stated that Mr. Cook is an alcoholic and has been to rehab twice in the past.”
According to Officer Carlson, the couple began arguing about Cook drinking and Cook’s wife told him to leave.
“At this time, Mr. Cook became angry and got into his wife’s face,” Officer Carlson said. “She told me this put her in fear as Mr. Cook has a history with domestic assault against her and has hit her in the past. Due to her fear of him hitting her, she pushed him away from her. [She] stated Mr. Cook then pushed her back. It is important to note that [Cook’s wife] is currently bedridden due to the recent stroke.”
Officer Carlson said that due to the commotion, security was called and they escorted Cook to the waiting area.
“It was at this time that [Cook’s wife] asked for the police not to be called, but for Mr. Cook to just leave,” Officer Carlson said.
Officer Carlson then read Cook’s wife her Abused Persons Notice of Rights, a state-mandated notice informing individuals of their legal protections in domestic situations, as outlined under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 209A.
Officer Carlson said that after reading the rights to her, he asked if she understood them, and she indicated that she did.
“I then signed this form and gave it to her to sign as well,” Officer Carlson said. “I then left her with the original copy. I then began to fill out a dangerousness worksheet with her.”
Officer Carlson said that Cook’s wife then told him that over the past year, his abuse has become more frequent.
“She also stated that they had a domestic incident recently where [Cook’s wife] went to stay with someone else for a few days,” Officer Carlson said. “She stated to me that he had been arrested for a domestic assault against her two years ago, although I do not see this charge on his BOP [board of probation record].”
Brian J. Cook, 48, of Clinton, was arrested and charged with the following:
- Assault & Battery on Family/Household Member
- Disorderly Conduct
Cook was arraigned in Leominster District Court on March 30, 2026. Following his arraignment, he was released on personal recognizance.
Cook’s next court date is a pretrial hearing scheduled for May 21, 2026.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in March, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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