Lawrence mayor’s report of threat rejected No evidence of attack on Lantigua, police say

Lawrence mayor’s report of threat rejected
No evidence of attack on Lantigua, police say

Mayor William Lantigua of Lawrence has clashed with the city’s Police Department almost since the day he took office.
By Andrea Estes and Maria Sacchetti
Globe Staff / April 21, 2011

Lawrence police say they have found no evidence to support the assertion by Mayor William Lantigua that he was nearly run down in front of City Hall last month by a mystery car with unregistered plates, the latest chapter in an increasingly bitter dispute between the controversial mayor and the city’s police.

In a 12-page report made public yesterday, Lawrence Police Captain Denis Pierce concluded there is no evidence the car threatened Lantigua in any way. The report said that an eyewitness to the episode contradicted Lantigua’s insistence that he had been in danger.

The report suggested that on the day of the alleged assault, Lantigua may have been under surveillance by men in a car with unregistered plates similar to those used by undercover law enforcement officials. No further explanation of that possibility was offered.

“We are closing this investigation; no crime was committed,’’ Lawrence Police Chief John Romero said in an interview.

FULL STORY HERE
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/04/21/no_evidence_of_an_attack_on_lawrence_mayor_police_say/