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A tense video emerged of a Massachusetts ICE arrest being disrupted by a crowd of about 25 people in what police are calling a “chaotic incident.”
Footage captured Thursday in Worcester shows a group of residents chanting “don’t take the mother!” and “no warrant!” after a woman was led into an SUV by uniformed ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents. Before the vehicle can pull away, other women are seen placing their hands on the front hood of an SUV and screaming in protest.
At one point, a CBP agent and a bystander start shoving each other as he tried to move her away from the SUV. The vehicle eventually leaves the area after the Worcester Police Department arrived and declared an unlawful assembly, threatening arrest.
“I am disturbed to hear about today’s events involving ICE. As someone who prides themselves on leading a welcoming city, I am devastated to hear about the separation of a family, especially with Mother’s Day around the corner,” Joseph Petty, the city’s Democratic mayor, wrote on X.
A crowd of people is seen gathering around the SUV in Worcester, Mass. (@iwontstealthemooniswear_ via Storyful)
“As the vehicle went to pull away, a juvenile female had a newborn baby in her arms and was standing in front of the car with the newborn. Officers told her that she was endangering the child and that she needed to move. Eventually she complied and gave the newborn to someone else,” police also said. “As the vehicle moved away, she ran after the vehicle and kicked the passenger’s side of it. It appeared that she was going to run in front of the moving vehicle, and officers took her into custody.”
Police said while they were taking her into custody, Ashley Spring, 38, of Worcester, “pushed multiple officers” and “threw an unknown liquid substance on them.”
She was also arrested and has been charged with Assault and Battery on a Police Officer, Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon (unknown liquid), Disorderly Conduct, and Interfering with a Police Officer.
At one point, a CBP agent and a female bystander, left, start shoving each other as he tries to move her away from the SUV in Worcester. (@iwontstealthemooniswear_ via Storyful)
The Worcester Police Department said the “chaotic incident is still under investigation” and further charges may be forthcoming.
