Commission clears Sons of Boston to reopen nearly a year after city suspended liquor license – Boston News, Weather, Sports

BOSTON (WHDH) — The Sons of Boston pub near Faneuil Hall, which has been closed for months, has been cleared to reopen by the state Alcohol Control Commission.

The Union Street bar was forced to close in April 2022 after the City of Boston’s Licensing Commission suspended its liquor license.

The move came weeks after one of the bar’s bouncers allegedly stabbed 23-year-old Daniel Martinez, a US Marine.

The incident happened on March 19 while Martinez, a Chicago native, was visiting friends in town for St. Patrick’s Day at the time.

The bouncer, Alvaro Larrama, 38, has been charged with murder while the Marine’s family are suing the bar.

Almost a year later, in a Jan. 31, 2023 ruling, the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission disapproved of the City of Boston Licensing Board’s decision to indefinitely suspend the bar’s license.

Citing testimonies and evidence presented during a hearing, the Commission said in its decision, among other things, that the “Local Board did not present direct evidence of violations” by Causeway Union LLC/Sons of Boston.

The commission noted that members believed police officers who testified, while credible, noted that none were present “at the time of the conduct in question” and that the Boston License Commission “offered three police reports without eyewitnesses as evidence, but did so did not provide competent evidence to support these reports.”

“While the Commission considered these police reports to be corroborated, the Local Board has not presented any evidence of the licensee’s conduct,” the ruling reads.

Following the 2022 stabbing, the city’s licensing board previously found the Sons of Boston Bar Association responsible for multiple violations, including “failure to call police,” “armed security without board approval,” and “assault and battery clerk on patron with deadly weapon.” Weapon”.

The city’s Bureau of Consumer Affairs and Licensing also suspended the bar’s entertainment license after the stabbing.

(Copyright (c) 2022 Sunbeam Television. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, transcribed or redistributed.)