City votes to suspend ‘Sons of Boston’ liquor license after deadly stabbing linked to the bar

BOSTON — The Boston Licensing Board, in a unanimous vote Thursday morning, voted to indefinitely suspend the liquor license of the Sons of Boston bar and kitchen following a confrontation in which one of its bouncers was accused of murder in the stabbing of a Marine veteran.

In a scathing critique, the Licensing Board said it would be unsafe for the Sons of Boston to continue to operate, citing a breakdown in its management and a pattern of negligence involving other prior incidents.

“I do not believe Sons of Boston can adequately protect the public within their license premise and I do not believe they are operating a law-abiding business,” said Kathleen Joyce the Chairwoman of the Boston Licensing Board. “I believe it is unsafe for them to continue to operate, someone died directly at the hands of their staff.”

Sons of Boston, which is operated by Causeway Union, LLC. faced six different alleged licensing violations, including assault and battery - employee on patron - with a deadly weapon, and failure to call police about the incident.

“Based on their negligent hiring practices, their utter lack of training, and their recent prior reports of violent staff it should have been foreseeable that an event like this could happen,” said Joyce.

This comes after a March 19 incident where one of their bouncers was charged with a Marine veteran’s murder. Daniel Martinez of Illinois was stabbed and later died after police say one of the bar’s bouncers chased him down after denying Martinez entry.

That bouncer, Alvaro Omar Larrama, 39, of East Boston is facing a murder charge.

In a statement, the Martinez family wrote:

“We would like to thank the licensing board for taking action that today suspended Sons of Boston’s license to operate indefinitely. The Board acted swiftly and thoroughly in looking out for the community’s safety. The Board stated that after reviewing extensive footage - and reviewing the history of Sons of Boston in regard to hiring, training and supervision of its staff - that the establishment failed to do what it was legally required to do and that those failures cost Daniel his life. The family of Daniel Martinez remains steadfast in seeking justice, and will not rest until all questions around Daniel’s tragic death, and the action of the bar before and after, are answered. Most importantly, the Martinez family is still deeply grieving the loss of their beloved son and brother, Daniel. The family appreciates the media’s willingness to respect their privacy during this extraordinarily difficult time.”

—  Statement from Martinez Family Attorney / Thomas Flaws - Altman, Nussbaum, Shunnarah

The bar already had its entertainment license pulled by the mayor’s office.

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