Fitchburg woman allegedly attacks woman with hatchet

FITCHBURG » Police arrested a city woman Wednesday after she allegedly attacked another woman with a hatchet, causing a small wound on the victim’s arm, according to police and court documents.

Police were called to a Valley Street residence on a report of a disturbance involving with a small axe or firearm and as officers were pulling up to the residence they spotted Sylvia T. Lajara, 39, of Valley Street, standing next to the residence, yelling and banging on a rear door, the reporting officer said.

Not sure about the presence of a firearm, both officers drew their handguns, holding them in the down-low ready position, and one

of the officer raised his weapon at Lajara and ordered her to show her hands, the officer reported.

Initially, Lajara took a few steps toward the officer, but then complied with the order. She was placed handcuffs and searched, nothing dangerous was found, the officer reported.

One of the officers then went to the apartment at 9 Valley St. and spoke with the woman who had made the initial call for help, the officer reported.

The woman, Krystal Brand, 29, also of Valley Street, told the officer she and William Delarosa, 34, of 26 Valley St., were asleep in the apartment when she heard a loud banging on the door and recognized it was Lajara yelling and Delarosa got up, opened the door and Lajara charged into the apartment swinging the hatchet four times at Brand, landing one blow on her arm causing a small wound, the officer reported, adding that Delarosa is Lajara’s longtime boyfriend and she believed he was cheating on her.

The officer then placed Lajara under arrest, charging her with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, the officer reported.

While Lajara was being driven to the police station for booking, she told the officer: “I can’t believe your charging at me with a gun when (Delarosa) has one in the car,” the officer reported.

Coincidentally, one of the officers had stopped a vehicle being driven by Brand only a few hours before because of a discrepancy with the license plate registration, the officer reported.

Officers then located the vehicle that Delarosa and Brand were in and when they stopped it, they found a small handgun called a CZ24 Model CZ2, which is 9 mm handgun issued to German soldiers in World War II, the officer reported.

Both were placed under arrest for possession of a firearm without a FID card and Brand was also charged with a number plate violation, operating an unregistered vehicle and operating an insured vehicle, according to court documents.

Lajara pleaded not guilty when arraigned Wednesday, but was ordered held without bail pending the outcome of a dangerousness hearing set for Monday, according to court documents.

When Brand and Delarosa were arraigned, both pleaded not guilty, and Brand was released on personal recognizance and ordered to return to court for a pretrial hearing on April 20, according to court documents.

Delarosa was ordered held in lieu of posting a $1,000 cash bail or $10,000 surety bond and to return to court April 20, according to court documents.

As of Thursday, Delarosa remains in custody at the Worcester County House of Correction, according to a spokeswoman with the Worcester County Sheriff ’s Office.