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Etel Haxhiaj was found guilty of assault and battery of a police office but acquitted of interfering with an officer. She was sentenced to six months probation.
The former Worcester city councilor facing criminal charges related to the chaotic scene at an immigration arrest last year was found guilty of assault and battery of a police officer in court Wednesday.
“The special prosecutor asked that I repent by issuing a direct apology, in exchange for dropping the charges with probation. I chose the truth,” Etel Haxhiaj wrote in a statement on Instagram.
Haxhiaj, who was edged out of her District 5 council seat in November, was found guilty of one misdemeanor of assault and battery on a police officer, the Northwestern District Attorney’s office announced. The former councilor had previously pleaded not guilty.
Haxhiaj was acquitted of a separate misdemeanor of interfering with a police officer, according to the DA’s office, which prosecuted the case at the Worcester DA’s request due to the conflict of interest.
The former councilor was sentenced to six months probation and 40 hours of community service, prosecutors said. Haxhiaj’s lawyer Elizabeth Halloran said they were “certainly disappointed by the jury’s verdict.”
“What happened on Eureka Street on May 8 is happening in neighborhoods throughout our nation. ICE’s conduct is deplorable and should shock the conscience of the American people,” Halloran said. “I am grateful for individuals like Etel Haxhiaj who are committed to supporting our immigrant neighbors while resisting the attempts of ICE to indoctrinate fear.”
In May, Haxhiaj was on Eureka Street when federal immigration agents arrested Worcester mother Rosane Ferreira de Oliveira, a Brazilian national. Residents and neighbors confronted federal agents while Worcester police responded for crowd control.
Haxhiaj was accused of shoving Worcester Police officer Shauna McGuirk in the chest as the officer tried to escort the councilor away from the ICE vehicle, according to a complaint filed by police in court. McGuirk’s body camera footage was one of the three videos released after the incident.
“Our view was that the video evidence presented at trial depicted a level of force by Officer McGuirk which resulted in Ms. Haxhiaj’s reasonable response in defending herself,” Halloran said.
In body camera footage, Haxhiaj can be seen reaching for the teen daughter and being held back by officers.
Haxhiaj said the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, among others, by federal agents “remind us who the real aggressors are.”
“Prosecuting mothers for protecting mothers isn’t justice,” she wrote.
The fallout from the Eureka Street arrest in Worcester sparked multiple protests and widespread rebuke at a Worcester City Council meeting last year. The local assault charge that prompted Ferreira De Oliveira’s arrest was dropped, and she was granted asylum in September, her lawyer said.
Prosecutors stressed that Haxhiaj was not charged for speaking out against ICE but instead her “conduct” toward McGuirk.
“Peaceful political protest is a protected and cherished constitutional right, while physical assault on law enforcement officers is not. Today’s verdict reinforces that distinction,” prosecutor Steven Gagne said in a statement.
Ashley Spring, a former candidate for School Committee, and one of Ferreira De Oliveira’s daughters were arrested at the scene. Charges against the minor daughter were dismissed. Spring, who faced similar charges to Haxhiaj, resolved her case by agreeing to pretrial probation until May 8, 2026, the Northwestern DA said.
“The situation on Eureka Street was difficult and stressful, but not of the Worcester Police Department’s making,” Gagne said. “Officers responded commendably and professionally under difficult circumstances to keep the peace.”
This article was updated to include comment from Haxhiaj’s lawyer.
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