WORCESTER – Worcester City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj faces two charges in connection with the May 8 arrest of an undocumented city resident, Rosane Ferreira-De Oliveira, by federal agents on Eureka Street.
An assistant clerk-magistrate found probable cause to issue charges of assault and battery on a police officer and interfering with police. The magistrate rejected a second charge of assault and battery on a police officer.
The magistrate system is unique to Massachusetts and enables a court official other than a judge to approve charges. The hearings are private and recordings of the proceedings or related documents are not public records.
According to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, police Lt. John Bossol filed a statement that said Haxhiaj pushed officer Shauna McGuirk in the chest and later pulled McGuirk’s arm during the course of an arrest. Police did not allege that any officers sustained injuries during the incident.
In a statement released on Wednesday, June 4, Haxhiaj said that, “our community continues to be shocked and devastated by the events on Eureka Street,” and expressed frustration “to now be targeted by this criminal prosecution as well.” She added that, “working to improve policing in our city by calling for oversight and accountability should not provoke political grandstanding and attacks,” and said she looks forward to responding to these charges in court.
According to reporting by Rolling Stone, on May 8, federal agents first detained the daughter of Ferreira-De Oliveira, Augusta Clara, 21, as she left her home while carrying her 3-month-old infant. Agents then insisted that Ferreira-De Oliveira come to the scene to retrieve the infant. As soon as the mother arrived at the scene, agents moved to arrest her.
Ferreira-De Oliveira’s family says that the agents claimed to have a warrant for Clara, but refused to produce it.
Worcester Police arrested the 17-year-old daughter Ferreira-De Oliveira, but later sought to drop the charges. Police also arrested Ashley Spring, 38, on charges of Assault and Battery on a Police Officer, Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon (unknown liquid), Disorderly Conduct, and Interfering with a Police Officer. A statement released by the Worcester Police Department claimed that Spring “pushed multiple officers” and “also threw an unknown liquid substance on them.”
Based on video by bystanders and the body camera footage release by the City of Worcester, it is not clear when the alleged pushing took place.
According to reporting by Masslive, police body camera footage shows that police identified the liquid as water at the scene on Eureka Street.
Video from the scene shows that many of those at the scene alleged to be federal agents were not wearing badges, while two displayed badges. Federal law prohibits individuals who are not federal officers from wearing law enforcement badges.
A Worcester Police officer can be heard on video footage telling a bystander that the agents “will explain it to you,” an apparent reference to objections to the arrest. The federal agents previously refused to provide any identification information or other information on their activity that day.
Bystanders, which included Ferreira-De Oliveira’s daughter, never received that information before Worcester Police cleared bystanders to enable federal agents to leave the scene.
