Local News

Boston Police release body camera footage showing aftermath of Kendra Lara crash

The footage includes interviews with the city councilor and the man she says she swerved around.

By Chloe Bohl

July 21, 2023

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Email
• Email
• 31

Boston Police have released body camera videos of the aftermath of City Councilor Kendra Lara’s June 30 car crash in response to a records request from The Boston Globe. The footage includes interviews with Lara and the man she said she swerved to avoid when she drove into a Jamaica Plain house.

Police said earlier this month that Lara was driving at least 53 mph in a 25 mph zone in the moments leading up to the crash. Her 7-year-old son was sitting in the back seat without a booster seat, though police say he should have been in a booster based on his age and height. He received stitches at Boston Children’s Hospital for a cut above his left eye, but was not seriously injured. 

Lara was allegedly driving an uninsured, unregistered car with a revoked license when she crashed into the home on Centre Street.

At her arraignment Wednesday, Lara pleaded not guilty to charges of driving with a suspended license, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, operating an unregistered and uninsured vehicle, speeding, and a seat belt violation. The judge also ruled that Lara should face two more charges, of operating negligently so as to endanger and recklessly permitting bodily injury to a child under 14. Lara was released on personal recognizance and will be back in court on Aug. 16 for a pretrial conference.

In the video, released Thursday evening, the man Lara said she swerved around tells police, “I was just beginning to pull out and she came by like a bat out of hell and just swerved.”

There is also a police interview with Lara in the back of an ambulance. The footage is blurred but the sound is clear. Lara tells police that she doesn’t have her license with her, and offers to provide it later.

She is audibly upset when she says, “I just swerved … I just couldn’t hit the brakes fast enough.”

A police report says that photos taken at the scene suggest that Lara did not break during the crash.

Lara apologized in a July 8 statement.

“We are all accountable for our actions, and I am no different, which is why I offer my sincerest apologies to everyone, especially the people of District 6,” she wrote. “As an elected official, I’ve worked hard to center the dignity and humanity of my constituents. Today, I ask you to also see mine as I work to correct my mistake.”