Latest news with #WorcesterPolice
CBS News
2 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Worcester city councilor charged with assaulting police during ICE operation
A Worcester city councilor has been charged with assaulting and interfering with police officers during a chaotic ICE operation in the city last month. District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhiaj can be seen in body camera video when crowds began swarming federal agents on Eureka Street on the morning of May 8. The crowd tried to stop ICE agents from taking a woman into custody. Two other people were arrested during the incident. According to the criminal complaint, Haxhiaj repeatedly identified herself as a Worcester city councilor and was observed "pulling the restraints of the arrested as they were being escorted to the transport vehicle." Police said Haxhiaj ignored requests to move away from the vehicle and allegedly pushed an officer away by striking them in the chest. A few minutes later, while another person was being arrested, Haxhiaj allegedly pulled the officer's arm. Haxhiaj has been charged with assault and battery on a police officer and interfering with a police officer. The President of the Worcester Police Patrolmen's Union told WBZ Haxhiaj was "inciting the crowd" and video showed "officers acted totally appropriately in a very difficult, chaotic situation." "Targeted and vilified" Haxhiaj released a statement saying she looks forward to responding to the charges in court. "Protecting the most vulnerable should not lead to being targeted and vilified," Haxhiaj said. "And working to improve policing in our city by calling for oversight and accountability should not provoke political grandstanding and attacks." Haxhiaj's arraignment is scheduled for July 23.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Democrat councilwoman BLOCKS arrest of migrant who beat up her pregnant daughter
Police bodycam footage captured the chaotic moment a Massachusetts councilwoman attempted to block the arrest of a migrant who allegedly beat up her pregnant daughter. The intense encounter took place on May 8 in Worcester - about 50 minutes outside of Boston - when ICE agents confronted a crowd of about 25 'unruly' activists as they tried to arrest Rosane Ferreira de Oliveira. De Oliveira, 40, entered the US illegally in August 2022. While agents attempted to apprehend de Oliveira, who is accused of assaulting her pregnant 16-year-old daughter, Democrat City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj was seen grabbing ICE officers and shouting at them to 'get out of our neighborhood.' Following the dramatic incident, authorities said Haxhiaj 'incited aggression towards the police' and 'eventually assaulted both Worcester police and federal law enforcement officers on scene.' The Worcester Police Patrolman's Union also noted that the councilwoman's 'behavior also emboldened others to act in this manner,' as many bystanders were seen filming the moment and also screaming at officers. Officials have called for an ethics investigation to take place following the ordeal, as Massachusetts US Attorney Leah Foley warned that her office will look into anyone who tries to interfere with ICE operations, including elected officials. 'This conduct poses significant public and officer safety risks. It is conduct that should be vilified rather than glorified,' Foley said. The overwhelming scene began when police officers arrived to help ICE officers who requested assistance with the rowdy crowd. De Oliveira's teenage daughter, dressed in a black and white sweater vest, was seen with her face on the hood of a car as officers surrounded her. Haxhiaj was then seen interfering, as she put her finger in an officer's face before turning to the 16-year-old, screaming: 'Let her go! Do not touch her!' Other people then gathered around the scene as the teen suspect shouted: 'Don't touch me!' 'Don't touch her!,' Haxhiaj then yelled as she shoved an ICE officer's arm and tried to get a hold of the girl. During another moment, the councilwoman was seen arguing with several officers on the sidewalk begging them to let the teenager go. 'She hasn't done anything. She's traumatized. She's my constituent!,' she yelled as officers pushed her back. Haxhiaj added: 'She's my constituent and you're hurting her!' She then questioned why the minor was being arrested, telling officers: 'She has done nothing!' An officer then addressed her as councilor and warned her to back away. He continued: 'Back away and get your hands off of us!' Both de Oliveira and her teenage daughter, who has not been named, were taken into custody after the minor ran after the car her mother was in and kicked its passenger side, according to Mass Live. Just before she ran toward the vehicle, she handed off her sister's child to another person. The juvenile was arrested and charged with reckless endangerment of a child, disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. She was later released from custody. De Oliveira, who authorities said is a 'violent criminal illegal alien,' has been charged with endangerment of a child, disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. The Worcester Police Department said the investigation is ongoing, Fox News reported.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
ICE protestors escorted out by authorities after interrupting Worcester State of the City address
A handful of protestors were escorted out of the Jean McDonough Arts Center for interrupting city manager Eric D. Batista's State of the City Address Wednesday night. Roughly a dozen in the crowd loudly criticized Batista while he initially addressed the events of May 8th and the recent release of police body cam footage. 'I'm asking that we listen to each other and treat each other with respect,' said Batista through yells from the crowd. ' Worcester Police responded to Eureka Street on May 8th after ICE agents were surrounded by residents during a detainment. Batista added, 'We cannot go back and change what happened. But, we can learn from it and come together... Whether we like it or not, Worcester does not exist in its own bubble. The events of May 8th made that clear.' On Friday, his office released the body cam footage and also issued an executive order clarifying the involvement of city resources with federal operations. The executive order states that city police and resources will not go towards federal operations, and promised police will assist anyone in Worcester regardless of immigration status. Signs and shouts rained down on the city manager during his address. About four in the crowd were escorted out by police for the disruption. One was led out by the police. 'ICE off our streets,' chanted protesters inside the theater. About a dozen protesters outside on Franklin Street chanted, 'Worcester PD's not our friend.' Those removed from the theater waited for Batista outside, but their questions weren't answered as he was escorted away. 'ICE out of Worcester now,' David Webb yelled at the city manager, leaving on Wednesday. Webb was escorted out of the address by police moments before. He finished, 'He is not a person from Worcester anymore.' During the speech, Batista acknowledged the challenges the city faces – but emphasized it's a time for unity and a collective effort to safeguard the city. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Worcester councilor slams ICE protesters, says they should have helped children
A Worcester City Councilor asserts that people on Eureka Street who protested the May 8 arrest of a Brazilian mother made the situation worse, claiming they should have focused their efforts on helping the mother's daughters. Councilor-at-Large and Public Safety Committee Chair Kathleen Toomey released a statement on Monday addressing the recently released body camera footage from Worcester Police officers who were present during Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) arrest of Rosane Ferreira-De Oliveira. People who protested the arrest 'crossed a line,' and were accused by authorities of obstructing and physically assaulting ICE agents and Worcester Police officers at the scene, Toomey said in her statement. She also claimed the protesters did little to help the mother's two daughters, 21-year-old Augusta Clara Moura and a teenager, both of whom were present during the arrest. 'The videos I saw reinforced for me that had the protesters stayed on the sidewalk and not interfered with federal officers, we would be in a very different space,' Toomey said. 'However, they exacerbated the situation, and instead of focusing their efforts [on] supporting the daughters of the woman apprehended, they crossed the line by obstructing and physically assaulting both ICE and WPD officers, which is unacceptable.' The body camera footage and audio were released on May 16 following pressure from the public, including a May 13 protest at city hall where protesters accused Worcester Police officers of assisting ICE in their arrest of Ferreira-De Oliveira. The footage and audio are taken from body cameras worn by officers Juan Vallejo, Patrick Hanlon and Shauna McGuirk. Along with releasing the footage and a recording of the 911 call from that day, City Manager Eric Batista issued an executive order to establish 'guidelines for local response and involvement in federal enforcement of immigration laws and operations, including investigations and civil detainments performed by ICE officers.' 'We are a nation of Laws,' Toomey wrote. 'We do not have the ability to choose which we follow and do not follow. As citizens, we are required to follow the laws. As elected officials, we have taken an oath to follow and uphold those Laws. If you do not like them, there are appropriate ways to protest and change them.' Two other city councilors have also released statements after the release of the body cam footage. In a statement released last week, District 2 Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson wrote that the Worcester Police Department did not aid ICE in detaining the mother. 'The footage released today confirms this: Worcester Police officers did not aid ICE in any detainment,' Carlson said. 'Instead, they responded with professionalism, compassion and restraint in a complex and challenging situation.' Councilor-at-Large Thu Nguyen, however, said in an Instagram post Sunday, they could not believe the city administration and the Worcester Police Department's recounting of the events on Eureka Street. They also demanded the release of all police incident reports. 'We will not stop holding WPD accountable,' Nguyen wrote. 'We must abolish ICE.' Shouts and screams were heard on the morning of May 8 as ICE agents arrested Ferreira-De Oliveira. Body camera footage from Officer Hanlon captured the ICE agents arresting the mother. In the footage, District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhiaj is shown walking toward the officers and Ferreira-De Oliveira. Haxhiaj grabbed Ferreira-De Oliveira's arm and pleaded with the agents not to take her. Two of the ICE agents then proceeded to fling the councilor off Ferreira-De Oliveira. As the agents moved to a gold Ford SUV, Haxhiaj then reached out for Ferreira-De Oliveira. Hanlon grabs her hands to pull her back and tells her to stop. 'I cannot stop!' Haxhiaj yelled at the officer. Clara Moura, who is being held back by School Committee Candidate Ashley Spring, reaches out to the vehicle and says no multiple times. Hanlon responds by saying that ICE will offer an explanation. Haxhiaj and Spring yell that the agents will not explain, with Spring telling Hanlon that ICE does 'not have a judicial warrant.' At around two minutes and 25 seconds into the footage, an ICE officer says, 'We do not need a judicial warrant for this arrest.' In both Hanlon and McGuirk's footage, some residents can be seen standing right next to the hood of the SUV. At the two-minute, 20-second mark in McGuirk's footage, the officer approaches Haxhiaj, who is standing by the passenger side door of the vehicle. The councilor appears to be talking with someone about a warrant when McGuirk extends her hands out to her and touches her arm. Haxhiaj responds by telling McGuirk, 'Do not touch' me. At the 2:37 mark, Haxhiaj is still at the passenger's side of the vehicle, this time with Clara Moura. Agents and McGuirk tell both of them they need to move away from the vehicle. McGuirk then grabs Clara Moura's arm, telling her she needs to 'come on.' Clara Moura looks down at her arm and says, 'no, no, no, no.' The officer then lets go of her arm, and an agent warns Clara Moura and Haxhiaj that they both could be charged. Haxhiaj then says, 'I don't understand,' and tells McGuirk that she has the right to be there as the district's councilor. McGurik then pulls Haxhiaj away from the vehicle by her back, resulting in Haxhiaj's hands pushing against her body. 'Do not touch me!' Haxhiaj yells as she is pulled away from the SUV. At around the 3:54 mark, a man wearing a green shirt standing in front of the vehicle is pushed away by an ICE agent. During the ICE operation, the daughter and Spring were also arrested by Worcester Police officers. Body camera footage from Hanlon and Officer Juan Vallejo showed Ferreira-De Oliveira's 17-year-old daughter run up to the side of the SUV's front passenger door. Police later claimed she tried to kick the door, but it is difficult to confirm this due to the shakiness of the cameras and the large police presence. Vallejo and other officers surrounded the girl and moved her to the ground on the street. During the arrest, an officer yells, 'You're under arrest for disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace.' Police officers saw Spring push and shove other officers trying to arrest the daughter, according to a police report. 'Officers also observed Ashley directly point at and spray an unknown liquid in a bottle at officers that were on duty attempting to conduct their job,' the report read. It turns out, however, that the 'unknown' liquid was water. At the 2:30 mark in the video, Vallejo approaches Spring and points his finger at her, listing charges for another officer: 'Disorderly, disturbance, and she sprayed me in the face with water.' As he moves away from her, the audio catches Spring saying, 'It was water.' Spring was charged on May 9 with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon — that being the 'unknown liquid' — along with charges of assault and battery on a police officer, disorderly conduct and interfering with police officers. Lt. Sean Murtha of the Worcester Police Department told MassLive on Saturday that he was not aware of the department dropping any of Spring's charges, despite police saying the liquid was water in the video. The daughter, meanwhile, was charged with reckless endangerment of a child, disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, according to the Worcester Police Department. After her arrest, she was released from custody and is currently staying with family friends along with her 21-year-old sister, Augusta Clara Moura, Clara Moura's 3-month-old son and her other sister, who is also a minor. In a statement on May 16, Worcester Police Chief Paul Saucier announced that the Worcester Police Department is requesting that the court dismiss the case against Ferreira-De Oliveira's daughter. Even though the department wishes to have the case against the daughter dismissed, Saucier noted, however, that 'it is important to emphasize that assaulting or interfering with law enforcement officers as they carry out their duties is never acceptable.' Ferreira-De Oliveira is currently being detained at the Wyatt Detention Center in Central Falls, Rhode Island, according to ICE's Online Detainee Locator System. Food hub to launch at Worcester's Union Station in June Late home run lifts Buffalo past Worcester Red Sox VIDEO: Worcester police knew 'unknown liquid' sprayed during ICE arrest was water Read the original article on MassLive.
CBS News
18-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Union president says Worcester officers "acted totally appropriately" during ICE arrest of mother
Worcester Police union says officers do not assist ICE arrests but do answer safety calls Worcester Police union says officers do not assist ICE arrests but do answer safety calls Worcester Police union says officers do not assist ICE arrests but do answer safety calls The President of the Worcester Police Patrolmen's Union says his officers had a measured and restrained response to the crowd that formed while ICE arrested a Brazilian mother on May 8. "The video shows that our officers acted totally appropriately in a very difficult, chaotic situation," Union President Thomas Duffy said. The city released police body camera footage of the incident on the Friday after protests erupted in response to the woman's arrest, and some city officials condemned the behavior of federal officers and Worcester Police. According to dispatch audio, Worcester Police were called to the scene on Eureka Street by ICE agents who said they were being surrounded by a crowd. The body camera footage starts with officers arriving after ICE agents had already had 40-year-old Rosane Ferreira de Oliveira in custody inside a nearby vehicle. Active city councilor at ICE arrest The footage shows a crowd of people around the ICE agents, including Ferreira de Oliveira's two daughters and Worcester City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj. Near the beginning of the footage, Haxhiaj is seen walking into a group of ICE officers and is pushed away by them. "We had an active city councilor, Etel Haxhiaj, from District 5, who was inciting the crowd, physically touched our officers and federal agents on the scene," Duffy said. At one point, Haxhiaj is seen with one of Ferreira de Oliveira's daughters, who was holding a baby next to the car where her mother was held. "This is my constituent. No, please do not touch me," she told police as they tried to move both of them away from the vehicle. The baby was also passed to the 17-year-old daughter of Ferreira de Oliveira while she was standing in front of the car. Worcester officers told the girl that she was endangering a child. Officers tried to move her away from the car. When the car with her mother inside started driving away, she ran after it, and Worcester police officers chased her, brought her to the ground, and took her into custody. Police did not assist with arrest, union president says Duffy says none of this was done to assist ICE with their arrest. "We don't assist ICE, we were not working in connection with them during this incident, but as part of our oath, we will respond for the safety of any state, federal, local law enforcement agency who calls and needs assistance," he said. Worcester Police Chief Paul Saucier said the videos were released to "illustrate the chaotic nature of the situation as experienced by the officers who had to make rapid, critical decisions in the moment to ensure the safety of everyone on the scene." Worcester Police are now asking the court to drop charges against the 17-year-old. Also on Friday, Worcester City Manager Eric Batista issued an Executive Order that reaffirmed guidelines for local response and involvement in federal enforcement of immigration laws and operations. The order states that city workers and officers should not inquire or initiate investigations based on immigration status. The city said municipal employees should not participate in a federal agency's operation on immigration laws, "except in response to a request to assist with support services deemed necessary to ensure officer safety; to ensure public safety; to prevent a breach of the peace." Elected officials from Acton, Chelsea, Waltham, and Worcester also signed a letter urging Governor Maura Healey to stop ICE in the state. WBZ-TV reached out to Councilor Haxhiaj for comment, but did not receive a response.
