ATHOL — On Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, at approximately 11:48 p.m., Athol Police Officer Brandon Newell was dispatched to Taco Bell at 79 Market Drive after a woman reported that someone had threatened her with a gun.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Brandon Newell and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
Officer Josh Barriere also responded to the scene.
“While en route, officers were informed that the party had left in a black Honda Civic,” Officer Newell said.
Officer Newell said he ran the vehicle’s license plate and determined that since the plate came back to an address in Leominster, Massachusetts, that the Massachusetts State Police and Leominster Police Department should be notified.
“This BOLO [be on the lookout] was in an attempt to stop and identify the driver,” Officer Newell said.
Officer Newell then arrived at Taco Bell while Officer Barriere checked the surrounding area.
Officer Newell walked inside Taco Bell and met with the reporting party, who told him that she was sitting in her car with her eight-month-old son when a man pulled into the parking lot in a Honda blasting music and parked a couple spots away from her.
In a voluntary written statement to the Athol Police Department, the woman said she “asked him nicely to turn down his music” because her 8-month-old son was sleeping. She said the man responded by telling her she shouldn’t be out so late with her baby and to get back into her car.
The reporting party said that as she was walking toward Taco Bell’s entrance to get her boyfriend, who was inside, the man told her, “Go get your boyfriend, I got a gun, I’ll shoot.”
According to the reporting party, the man then got out of his vehicle, said “get your shorty,” and went into Taco Bell yelling, where he got into her boyfriend’s face. She said her boyfriend pushed the man, who then backed away, left the building and went back to his car. A worker from Taco Bell then got into the Honda with the man and they began to drive away.
“While the vehicle was leaving, [the reporting party] said she could see three flashes of light and a beam,” Officer Newell said. “[She] said the light and beam came from a gun.”
Officer Newell asked a Taco Bell employee if their store had surveillance footage and the employee said they would speak with their manager about obtaining the footage.
Officer Newell then learned that Westminster Police Officer Travis Heath and Massachusetts State Police had stopped the black Honda Civic in connection with the Taco Bell incident.
Officer Newell said he asked for the operator to be identified.
“Mass State Police learned the male party’s name was Christopher Day and he was the registered owner of the Honda Civic,” Officer Newell said. Massachusetts State Police told Officer Newell that during the traffic stop, Day disclosed that he had a firearm under the driver’s seat.
According to police, Christopher T. Day, 24, is a resident of Leominster, MA.
“Due to the allegations, Chris let police see the firearm,” Officer Newell said, adding that Massachusetts State Police told him the gun was equipped with a flashlight and a blue laser.
“That confirmed that the firearm light and blue beam matched the description provided by [the reporting party],” Officer Newell said.
Officer Newell went back inside Taco Bell and spoke with the reporting party’s boyfriend who, he said, gave the same account as his girlfriend and reported seeing the flashlight and blue light coming from the gun.
Officer Newell then spoke with two Taco Bell employees who were working at the time of the incident. Both said they had witnessed the entire encounter, including the light and blue beam coming from the gun. When Officer Newell asked how they felt, they said they were scared.
The store manager then arrived on scene and showed Officer Newell surveillance footage of the incident. The footage captured a black Honda Civic arriving at Taco Bell.
Officer Newell said the footage showed the reporting party speaking with the driver before entering Taco Bell, with Day following her inside. The video showed the reporting party’s boyfriend push Day away. Day then walked back outside to his Honda.
“The vehicle was seen backing up and three flashes happened,” Officer Newell said. “This was believed to be where Chris showed his firearm and turned the light on.”
Officer Newell then spoke with one of the Massachusetts State Police troopers who pulled Day over and relayed what the victims had told him. Officer Newell told the trooper he planned to charge Day with four counts of assault with a dangerous weapon because four people reported seeing a gun and said they were scared.
The trooper asked Officer Newell if Massachusetts State Police should take custody of Day and the firearm. Officer Newell said yes.
The trooper then took Day into custody and transported him and the firearm to the Athol Police Department for booking.
“Mass State Police arrived at the Athol Police Department at approximately 1:30 a.m.,” Officer Newell said. Day was then escorted into the booking area where he was searched prior to being booked.
Officer Newell said he then read Day his Miranda warnings, which Day said he understood.
Officer Newell then asked Day what happened and Day said that he went to Taco Bell to pick up his friend.
“While there, he said a girl ([the reporting party]) was in the car next to him and yelled at him to turn down his music,” Officer Newell said. “He said that [the reporting party] made threats to get her boyfriend to protect her and Chris explained that he had a firearm. Chris said the girl went inside the restaurant and he went in too. At this point, he was pushed outside by her boyfriend…and he returned back to his vehicle.”
Day said that after his friend got in his car with him, he backed up and left.
Officer Newell said he asked Day if he had shined a light toward the reporting party and her boyfriend, and he said he flashed a light that was on the end of his firearm just so they knew he had it.
Officer Newell explained to Day that, due to his actions, he was being charged with four counts of assault with a dangerous weapon. Officer Newell told Day he was going to contact Leominster police and let them know of the charges in case they decided to suspend Day’s license to carry for the time being.
Christopher T. Day, 24, of Leominster, was charged with the following:
- Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (four counts)
Day’s bail was set at $200 cash.
“Chris was able to post bail and was released at approximately 4:30 a.m.,” Officer Newell said.
Day was arraigned in Orange District Court on Sept. 18, 2026. Following his arraignment, Day was released on the $200 cash bail under the condition that he obey all laws, notify probation of his change of address, not make any false statements, possess no firearms or dangerous weapons and stay away from the town of Athol.
Day’s next court date is scheduled for Nov. 17, 2026.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in September, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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