WORCESTER – An assistant clerk-magistrate at Massachusetts District Court in Worcester approved two charges against Worcester District 5 City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj in connection with the arrest and detention of an undocumented Worcester woman on Thursday, May 8, on Eureka Street.
The 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 complaint against Haxhiaj includes a statement by Lt. John Bossol which 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.
The Worcester Police Department filed the complaint with the court on May 12. A magistrate heard the complaint at a hearing on June 4 and ruled the evidence presented by police met the standard of showing probable cause.
Magistrate hearings are confidential proceedings unique to Massachusetts.
US Attorney Declined to Charge
After the events on Eureka Street on May 8, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Leah Foley and Worcester Chief of Police Paul Saucier spoke by phone. According to a Department of Justice staff attorney in the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office with knowledge of the conversation, during that call, Saucier asked Foley to charge Haxhiaj at the federal level.
Foley informed Saucier she declined to file charges, citing a lack of evidence.
Two days after the Worcester Police Department filed charges against Haxhiaj, U.S. Attorney Foley issued a statement which said, in part, “I will not stand idly by if any public official, public safety officer, organization or private citizen acts in a manner that criminally obstructs or impedes ICE operations.” She also said her office “will investigate any violations of federal law and pursue charges that are warranted by such activity.”
The DOJ has a long history of making few public statements, if any at all, related to ongoing investigations. That Foley issued the statement above after deciding she would not charge Haxhiaj appears consistent with past practices.
Chief Threatened by Union Leader
According to multiple sources within the Worcester Police Department, including a deputy chief who requested anonymity for fear of union reprisals, Thomas Duffy, the president of the New England Police Benevolent Association (NEPBA) Local 911, confronted Chief Saucier in a common area outside the chief’s office within the police department headquarters. Those sources say Duffy screamed at Saucier during the confrontation, which drew the attention of several nearby.
A captain at the Worcester Police Department told This Week in Worcester they also heard the confrontation between Duffy and Chief Saucier.
The Deputy Chief recalled the confrontation between Duffy and Chief Saucier taking place after the US Attorney informed Chief Saucier that Haxhiaj would not face federal charges. The Captain said they became aware of the decision of the US Attorney after the confrontation took place.
Police department personnel across multiple ranks and city employees at Worcester City Hall said they learned of the confrontation second hand.
Witnesses to the confrontation say Saucier removed himself from the situation after Duffy threatened that the union would end its support for the chief if Haxhiaj didn’t face charges.
This Week in Worcester discovered no evidence that indicates Duffy influenced the decision to file charges against Haxhiaj.
In municipal elections in November 2023, District 5 voters reelected Haxhiaj by a narrow margin over challenger Jose Rivera. In November 2025, Rivera challenges Haxhiaj for a second time.
Police union leaders strongly supported Rivera in 2023.
Prior to the 2023 election, allegations emerged on social media that Haxhiaj’s campaign finance disclosure showed a donor to her campaign included the daughter of a man who killed an Auburn Police officer. Worcester Police Sergeant Anthony Petrone, then the vice president of the union that represents police officials, and former city councilor Wayne Grifin, amplified the claim.
The donor has a similar name, but has no relation to the man in question.
Department Categorically Denies
This Week in Worcester provided an official spokesperson of the Worcester Police Department a summary of what sources said about the call between Foley and Saucier, and the confrontation Duffy initiated with Saucier, in writing.
The spokesperson told This Week in Worcester that the claims were false and did not happen.
The Worcester Police Department released the following statement on social media on Saturday, June 7.
John Keough contributed to this report
Editor’s Note: This piece was updated on June 7 at 1:30 PM to add additional information provided by a Worcester Police Department Captain after the original publication of this piece, and to provide the context of the different recollections of the timeline between the Deputy Chief and the Captain. The statement of the Worcester Police Department was also added on June 7, also at 1:30 PM.
