Massachusetts State Police are investigating a trooper who allegedly left a handcuffed man unattended at Mass. General Hospital in Boston while the patient was receiving medical care, the department said Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026. The trooper had been assigned to guard the man, who was in state police custody and handcuffed to a hospital bed. Surveillance video reportedly shows the trooper leaving the hospital and appearing to sleep in a cruiser, according to people familiar with the footage. Hospital staff believed the man was no longer under arrest after the trooper left, and hospital security removed his handcuffs, those people said. The man did not leave the hospital. It was not clear why he had been arrested. “Proper protocol would have been to call for some type of relief,” said Todd McGhee, a former state trooper and security expert. “You would not leave a prisoner unattended under any circumstances.” A State Police spokesperson confirmed the allegation is the subject of an internal affairs investigation and said the department would not comment further while it is ongoing. The trooper remains on duty and has not been placed on administrative leave, according to people familiar with the matter. McGhee called the incident serious and said he expected the investigation to determine whether the trooper should be held accountable. He said the situation could have put hospital staff and visitors at risk. Mass. General referred questions about the incident to State Police.