TEWKSBURY, Mass. — 27-year-old Eduardo Cruceta of Boston pleaded not guilty to assaulting a pregnant nurse at Tewksbury State Hospital on Sunday.
Prosecutors say at about 10 a.m., a chaotic scene broke out at the hospital where Cruceta’s brother was suffering a medical episode.
As staffers tried to remove Cruceta for the room to treat the brother, authorities say he lashed out, threatening the staff.
When a 3-month pregnant nurse stepped into help, Cruceta allegedly shoved a chair into her.
“Your honor, individuals have a right to be safe in the workplace. I would suggest to the court that right or safety was lost for the nurse in this situation,” said the prosecutor, Molly Stanton.
The defense attorney claims Cruceta panicked during the situation and accidentally hit the nurse with the chair as he was trying to clear the room for staffers.
This incident comes only days after the state made security policy changes, banning the use of tools like pepper spray, hand cuffs, or collapsible batons at Tewksbury State Hospital
“They really weren’t able to intervene and because of that this nurse was assaulted because they weren’t able to remove him from that room,” said Chief Ryan Columbus.
The Tewksbury Police Chief and State Representative David Robertson are urging authorities to reverse the ban.
“I believe, almost instantaneously, the policy change and the removal of the tool sets and equipment have made it a more dangerous campus, and the statistics and the trends have already shown this in a space of seven days,” said State Rep. David Robertson.
Mass. Nurses have since called an Emergency Meeting with front line nurses over safety concerns.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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