LEOMINSTER — On Thursday, April 16, 2026, at 12:13 a.m., Officer Brett Bourne of the Leominster Police Department responded to 1424 Main Street following a report of a possible fight.
(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Brett Bourne and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)
“Sergeant [Elvin] Vasquez arrived on scene just prior to my arrival,” Officer Bourne said.
As Officer Bourne approached the driveway, he said he observed a woman, later identified as the victim, Bruna, speaking with Sergeant Vasquez.
“Sergeant Vasquez relayed to me that [Bruna] reported being struck by her neighbor with a large handheld flashlight,” Officer Bourne said. “Sergeant Vasquez further advised that an assault and battery with a dangerous weapon had occurred, which is arrestable based on probable cause. As this information was relayed, Sergeant Vasquez and I proceeded to the rear of the building where the victim stated the suspect, later identified as William Macfarlane, was located.”
According to police, William J. Macfarlane, 81, is a resident of 1434 Main Street, Leominster, MA.
“Upon turning the corner and illuminating the dark rear area with our flashlights, I observed Macfarlane with his back turned toward us attempting to quickly leave the area toward his residence,” Officer Bourne said. Adding, “Macfarlane was walking at a fast pace.”
Even though Sergeant Vasquez and Officer Bourne told Macfarlane repeatedly to stop, Officer Bourne said he failed to comply and continued attempting to flee.
“I caught up to Macfarlane as he was in the process of squatting down and attempting to move underneath a broken fence toward his residence,” Officer Bourne said.
Officer Bourne said he grabbed Macfarlane by the arm and again issued verbal commands for him to stop, which Macfarlane ignored.
“I utilized contact controls and pulled Macfarlane back toward me; however, he had his other hand grasping the fence railing and was actively resisting arrest by pulling away,” Officer Bourne said. “Sergeant Vasquez moved to the opposite side and delivered hand strikes to Macfarlane’s forearm in order to gain compliance and have him release his grip on the railing. The strikes were effective, and Macfarlane released the railing.”
Sergeant Vasquez and Officer Bourne then each took control of one of Macfarlane’s arms and brought him to the ground, placing his hands behind his back.
“It should be noted that Macfarlane was heavily intoxicated, had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his person, and was unsteady on his feet throughout the encounter,” Officer Bourne said. “When we brought Macfarlane to the ground, he was already losing his balance due to his intoxication, and our actions were more of an assisted placement to the ground rather than a forced takedown.”
Officer Bourne placed Macfarlane in handcuffs, checked them for proper fit, and double-locked them.
Officer Bourne then informed Macfarlane that he was under arrest for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon for allegedly assaulting his neighbor, Bruna, with a flashlight.
Sergeant Vasquez and Officer Bourne then escorted Macfarlane to the rear prisoner compartment of a cruiser at the scene. Officer Steven Herbette then transported Macfarlane to the station for booking.
“I then spoke with the victim, Bruna [last name redacted], age 18, who resides in the neighboring building to the suspect. I also spoke with a witness on scene identified as Raphaela [last name redacted],” Officer Bourne said. “Through my investigation, I learned that Macfarlane, who resides at 1434 Main Street, went onto the victim’s property uninvited while heavily intoxicated. Macfarlane was carrying beer and attempting to get the individuals present, who were 18 years old, to drink with him. They refused and told Macfarlane he was not welcome on the property.”
Bruna said Macfarlane remained on the property despite being told to leave.
“At one point, [Bruna] dumped out the beer Macfarlane had brought,” Officer Bourne said. “[Bruna] again told Macfarlane to get off the property. At that time, Macfarlane used a handheld flashlight and struck [Bruna] in the chest area, specifically the left breast/chest, causing pain and a visible injury. [Bruna] did not fight back.”
Bruna said Macfarlane subsequently lost his balance and fell into one of the rear doors of the residence.
“Friends who had been present attempted to escort Macfarlane back toward his residence. Those individuals left the area prior to police arrival,” Officer Bourne said. “According to [Bruna] and the witness, within approximately five minutes, Macfarlane returned to the rear of 1424 Main Street, still intoxicated and uninvited, carrying jackets with tags on them, which he attempted to give as gifts.”
Bruna and others then again told Macfarlane to leave the property and that he was unwanted there, Officer Bourne said.
“While [Bruna] was recording the incident on her cell phone, Macfarlane again used the flashlight to strike [Bruna], this time on her left arm, causing an abrasion/cut with visible blood,” Officer Bourne said.
Officer Bourne said Bruna was offered medical evaluation and transport, but she refused.
“I observed injuries to [Bruna’s] left arm consistent with the reported incident,” Officer Bourne said. With Bruna’s permission, Officer Bourne said he took photographs of the injuries to her left arm using Sergeant Vasquez’s department-issued phone.
“Additionally, with the victim’s permission, Officer [Gabrielle] Larivee took photographs of the victim’s left breast/chest area, where visible bruising was observed in the area the victim reported being struck,” Officer Bourne said. Later adding, “Based on the victim and witness statements, the observed injuries, and the totality of the circumstances, I developed probable cause to believe that Macfarlane assaulted [Bruna] on two separate occasions by means of a dangerous weapon, specifically a handheld flashlight.”
Officer Bourne said that Bruna and a friend/witness later sent him videos of the altercation.
“In the videos, Macfarlane can be seen actively striking the victim with the flashlight, consistent with the Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon as reported,” Officer Bourne said.
Officer Bourne said he also explained to Bruna how to obtain a restraining order or harassment prevention order.
William Macfarlane, 81, of Leominster was charged with the following:
- Assault & Battery with a Dangerous Weapon (two counts): “Macfarlane used a heavy, large handheld flashlight to strike the victim once in the left breast/chest area and a second time in the left arm, causing visible injury,” Officer Bourne explained.
- Trespass: “Macfarlane remained on the property after being told multiple times to leave and later returned to the property again uninvited,” Officer Bourne said.
- Resisting Arrest: “Macfarlane ignored repeated verbal commands to stop, attempted to flee from officers, pulled away, and grabbed onto a fence railing/post in an effort to prevent being taken into custody,” Officer Bourne said.
Macfarlane was arraigned in Leominster District Court on April 16, 2026. Following his arraignment, Macfarlane was released on personal recognizance under the condition that he refrain from drinking alcohol and stay away from/not contact the victim.
Macfarlane’s next court date is a pretrial hearing scheduled for May 29, 2026.
Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in April, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.
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