By Tiffany Williams –
A Worcester judge just handed Worcedter District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhiaj a bruising setback, refusing to toss the charges stemming from her fiery May 8 clash with ICE agents and local cops — a street-side showdown that’s become one of the city’s most explosive political dramas of the year.
Haxhiaj, who already lost her re-election bid and is out of a job come January, is still staring down one misdemeanor count of assault and battery on a police officer and a common-law charge of interfering with a cop. Judge Janet J. McGuiggan shut down her attempt to make the case disappear, keeping every accusation alive.
The charges all trace back to Eureka Street, where the District 5 councilor threw herself into the middle of an ICE arrest of 40-year-old Rosane Ferreira-De Oliveira, a Brazilian mother of four who was later released in October. Police bodycam footage — blasted out by the city on May 16 — shows Haxhiaj grabbing the woman’s arm and pleading with agents not to take her before two ICE officers ripped the councilor off the detainee.
Another bodycam, this one from Officer Shauna McGuirk, shows Haxhiaj and the detainee’s daughter, Augusta Clara Moura, standing near a gold SUV as agents stuffed Ferreira-De Oliveira inside. Cops and ICE repeatedly tell both women to back off. Moments later, McGuirk pulls Haxhiaj away, and Haxhiaj shoves back, yelling, “Do not touch me!” as the chaos escalates.
The filing spells out the flashpoints: “Haxhiaj pushed P.O. McGuirk in the chest.” It also states, “Haxhiaj pulled P.O. McGuirk’s arm as she was making an arrest.”
According to the criminal complaint, Haxhiaj repeatedly identified herself as a city councilor and was observed “pulling the restraints of the arrested as they were being escorted to the transport vehicle.” Police say she ignored direct orders to move away and twice interfered with McGuirk during two separate arrests. Two other people were cuffed during the melee.
Worcester Police Chief Paul Saucier defended his officers’ decision not to arrest the councilor on the spot, saying they did it to avoid pouring gasoline on an already riled-up crowd. “I support their attempt to deescalate and their subsequent decision to charge her criminally,” Saucier said. “It is important for the public to know that if someone assaults a police officer or attempts to interfere with an arrest, he or she will be charged and held accountable.”
Now, with the judge’s refusal to dismiss, Haxhiaj heads toward a legal battle with no council seat, no political shield, and a bodycam record that prosecutors say speaks for itself.
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Dylan Azari and Laura Soukkavong contributed to this story