'F--- The Police': Arrests And Chaos At A House Party

FRAMINGHAM, MA — The incident dominated the news last week because a Framingham officer was injured while on his way to the scene. The "scene," as it were, was an out-of-control house party in which hundreds attended. It could only be described as threatening and chaotic - both to police and partygoers.

Officer Stephen O'Rourke on Thursday, Feb. 8, was on duty nearby when he was called to 143 Brook St, around 10:30 p.m. for a loud party. The caller said it was an ongoing issue where vehicles are parked along the street and running through the caller's yard to get to the party.

When police got there, they saw numerous cars parked along the streets with groups of people walking toward and away from the house. Officers talked to Keith Worthy, who said he was renting the house from Airbnb and that he was "not going to let any more people in and he was already asking some people to leave because the party got bigger than he wanted. He stated he would tell the people that were in the house already to quiet down."

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Police left, but were called back around 10:21 p.m. to the "same loud party," according to the report. When officers went in, many started to peacefully disburse. After roughly 150 people left, officers went in to find some large groups who were not leaving, but rather arguing with one another, said the report. The report states that roughly 200 or more people were still in the house.

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One person who tried to help officers had a "group in his face looking like they wanted to attack him," reads the report. O'Rourke wrote, "As I was monitoring the agitated and tumultuous group, I could overhear one of the parties state something along the lines of 'the next time one of them touch me I'm going to bang on them.' His friends then told him he wasn't going to touch the police and attempted to calm him down. I continued to let his friends calm him down and monitor them."

At this time, the group started to push and attack the person who tried to help police. Other partygoers started fighting behind the officers, and O'Rourke was grabbed and pushed from behind.

"Other officers came over to help me and I started to transmit to dispatch for help as there were several groups now fighting with each other and us," O'Rourke wrote. "It was extremely difficult in the large crowd to tell where my other officers were or to hear the radios and could see more angry partygoers approaching the corner of the room I was in."

According to the report, Worthy then came out of the crowd and bumped O'Rourke chest to chest and stated "something along the lines of 'Na, what do you think you're doing?'"

O'Rourke then took Worthy to the ground and told him he was under arrest for assault and battery on a police officer. Worthy continued to struggle on the ground and he was warned that he would be tasered if he did not comply, said the report.

"As I was with Mr. Worthy, the angry group became larger and more hostile after see Mr. Worthy being placed under arrest," wrote O'Rourke. "While I was watching over Mr. Worthy and waiting for more help from other officers to arrive, the hostile group continued to close in on us and other officers and I were discussing if this continued to happen we may be forced to spray the large group with OC for our and Mr. Worthy's protection."

As officers waited, the report reads that O'Rourke heard bottles smashed and saw people throwing glass, with groups of people yelling "f--- the police" or "they're going to shoot us because we're black." The person who had tried to help police earlier had a bottle smashed over his head, said police.

Police on the scene remained with their backs against the wall as partiers continued to fight, said the police report.

As police walked Worthy out of the party, people continued to grab the officers and attempt to halt them from bringing him to the cruiser.

"Worthy would call the police names trying to entice and was also try to jump or drag his feet on ice spots," O'Rourke wrote. "At the end of the hill, where there were approximately over 75 people, started to cheer him on, and Mr. Worthy started to skip and yell back to the group."

Worthy was pat frisked and put into the back of a cruiser, with O'Rourke headed back toward the house. As he walked up the hill, he said there were several groups coming back down the hill. All were cooperative except for one, named Devante Santiago, who reportedly attempted to entice the crowds and threatened the officers from afar.

"I then advised Mr. Santiago to knock it off it and go home," wrote O'Rourke. "Mr. Santiago continued to utter profanities loudly and cause a disturbance. I continued to tell Mr. Santiago there would be no more warnings if continued to act like this. Mr. Santiago then bladed his stance and said, 'What are you going to do?' and his two friends were forced to hold him back."

O'Rourke then told Santiago he was under arrest.

"Santiago continued to yell," wrote O'Rourke in the report, "causing a scene and state that both his father and his uncle who are employed as Massachusetts State Troopers would be notified and they would have my job."

Devante Santiago, 23, Rtuman Parkway, Hyde Park, was arrested at 143 Brook St. for disorderly conduct. Keith Worthy, Jr., 20, Parkview St., Springfield, was arrested at 143 Brook St. and charged with assault and battery on a police officer, disturbing the peace, keeping a noisy/disorderly house, resisting arrest.

Photos submitted by Framingham police

Photo 1: Keith Worthy

Photo 2: Devante Santiago