East Boston Couple Charged in Alleged Racially Motivated Attack Outside Restaurant

Overview

• A confrontation that began as a neighbor noise complaint escalated into a reported assault at Tertulia’s Cafe when the couple returned to the restaurant, according to police and prosecutors about the incident on Monday.
• Victims and investigators say the Rasos used racial slurs, told the group — described as Hispanic — to “get out of this country,” threatened to kill them, broke off a piece of a shared fence that struck a child, and sprayed the party with a hose.
• Prosecutors say an officer heard Arielle Raso admit to spraying the group and making threats while officers were interviewing victims at the scene.
• Arielle Raso faces multiple counts including seven counts each of assault and battery and civil-rights violations, seven counts of threatening to commit a crime, and one count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a child; Gregory Raso faces seven counts each of assault and battery and civil-rights violations and one count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
• The civil-rights charges elevate the case beyond ordinary assault allegations, signaling stronger prosecutorial focus on bias-motivated conduct while the couple remains free on bail and the case moves through pretrial proceedings with no convictions yet.