Thursday, 4:30 PM
DA: Cabbie shot fleeing robber in back
(Lisa Poole for The Boston Globe)
Bienvenido Rodriguez is accused of shooting a man in the back who police say had just robbed the cab driver at knife point.
By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff
Prosecutors charged a Lawrence taxi driver with attempted murder today, accusing him of shooting a man in the back who they say had just robbed him at knife point.
Defense attorney Pamela Saia said today that his client, Bienvenido Rodriguez, was acting in self defense on Sunday morning when he was confronted by an armed man erratically waving a knife as they both sat in the front seat of his taxi.
"Mr. Rodriguez is scared to death," Saia said. "He was completely afraid he was going to be killed."
Rodriguez, 46, pleaded not guilty in Lawrence District Court today to charges that included armed assault with intent to murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
According to court records, Rodriguez admitted to Lawrence police that he shot and wounded Herman Irene, the man who he said had just robbed him at knife point. Rodriguez told police that he was only trying to scare Irene.
Essex County prosecutors and Lawrence police tell a different story. They said Irene was shot in the back after he jumped out of Rodriguez's vehicle as he was running down a Lawrence street.
"When a guy is fleeing, he no long poses a threat to you," Lawrence Police Chief John Romero said today. "Because Irene was no longer a threat, Rodriguez had no legal right to shoot him."
Romero said Rodriguez was licensed to carry in another city, which he declined to identify.
Irene was taken to Lawrence General Hospital and then transferred to Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
Irene, who is charged with armed robbery, is scheduled to be arraigned today in his hospital room, according to a spokesperson for Essex Country District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett.
