Police in Worcester, Massachusetts, held a young girl’s face to the ground as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained her mother on Thursday, video shows.
The footage, captured by Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra, shows an ICE agent and police officer chasing after the girl, before three more officers surround her and the ICE agent backs away.
The four police officers then bring the girl to the ground, with at least one grabbing her legs and forcing her to lose her balance, the video shows. Two women, one of whom is holding a newborn baby, then can be seen trying to help the girl.
The teenage girl is screaming throughout the entirety of the incident, the video shows.
The mother-daughter pair, another relative and a newborn baby were about to get into a vehicle when they were intercepted by ICE agents, neighbors told NBC Boston. The neighbors said the girl held to the ground was 16-years-old.
It is unclear what the immigration statuses are of the individuals involved in the incident. ICE did not immediately return a request for comment on the incident.
In Massachusetts, state law generally prevents local police from assisting ICE with immigration enforcement.
The Worcester Police Department defended their conduct in a lengthy statement on Thursday.
Officers were dispatched to the scene “for a report of federal agent who was surrounded by a large group of about twenty-five people,” the department said. It added that officers also received a call from an individual “saying that ICE officers were on scene and refusing to show a warrant to the crowd.”
Police said that when they arrived, they witnessed a “chaotic scene,” with federal agents placing a woman under arrest and trying to leave with her in a vehicle.
“The crowd was unruly, and several people were putting their hands on federal agents and Worcester officers in an attempt to keep the vehicle and the arrestee from leaving,” the police said. “Worcester officers attempted to deescalate the situation and keep everyone safe.”
Police said that as the vehicle tried to pull away with the detained woman, a juvenile girl holding a newborn baby stood in front of the car.
“As the vehicle moved away, she ran after the vehicle and kicked the passenger’s side of it,” police said. “It appeared that she was going to run in front of the moving vehicle, and officers took her into custody.”
Police said the juvenile girl was later charged with reckless endangerment of a child, disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
They added that another woman was arrested for pushing officers and throwing an unknown liquid substance on them as they tried to arrest the girl.
The woman, who police identified as 38-year-old Ashley Spring, was charged with assault and battery of a police officer, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct and interfering with a police officer, according to police.
Spring did not immediately return a request for comment.
Worcester Mayor Joseph M. Petty said in a statement on Thursday night that he was “deeply disturbed” by the incident.
“Simply put, we cannot have this happen in our community,” he said.
Petty added that his office was not notified by ICE about the detainment and that he asked the city manager for a full report about the incident.
