Former Worcester City Councilor Found Guilty On Assault On Police Officer Charge

WORCESTER, MA — A former Worcester City Councilor stood trial at the Worcester Superior Court this week, and the jury delivered a mixed verdict, according to the Northwestern District Attorney's Office.

At the time of the incident, District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhiaj was accused of interfering with and assaulting a police officer while protesting against ICE agents who were arresting a mother in May. She was charged with one misdemeanor count of assault and battery on a police officer and one common law violation for interfering with a police officer.

Following a one-and-a-half-day trial and more than two hours of jury deliberations, Haxhiaj was found guilty of the assault and battery charge, but not guilty of interfering with a police officer.

On May 8, ICE agents were detaining a woman on Eureka Street in Worcester. A group of 30 protesters tried to block the agent's vehicle from leaving. The group demanded that they not take 40-year-old Rosane Ferreira-De Oliveira into custody.

One of those protestors was Haxhiaj, who police said obstructed the officers who tried to leave the area, grabbed onto a side mirror of the vehicle, and struck a police officer, identified as Shauna McGuirk, who was trying to intervene, according to multiple reports.

The prosecution's evidence focused on Haxhiaj's conduct toward Officer McGuirk, most of which was captured on McGuirk's body camera, the DA said.

The DA added that Haxhiaj was not charged for protesting or speaking out against the ICE operation.

Related: Worcester City Councilor Is 'Unapologetic' After Protesting ICE Agents: Report

“Peaceful political protest is a protected and cherished constitutional right, while physical assault on law enforcement officers is not,” said First Assistant District Attorney Steven E. Gagne, who prosecuted the case. “Today’s verdict reinforces that distinction.”

The Worcester DA's office requested that the Northwestern DA's Office prosecute the case due to a conflict of interest. Haxhiaj was sentenced to six months of probation and 40 hours of community service.

A second defendant, Ashley Spring, faced similar charges stemming from the incident in May. However, Spring resolved her case before the trial by agreeing to be placed on pretrial probation until May 8, the DA said.

Following the verdict, Haxhiaj and her attorney said they will consider filing an appeal, according to WCVB.

In November, Haxhiaj ran for reelection for the District 5 seat, ultimately losing to Jose A. Rivera by a small margin.

Patch has reached out to the Worcester Police Department, which has declined to comment at this time.

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