Boston weighs liquor license issues at Monica's Trattoria as police search for owner Patrick Mendoza
BOSTON – An emergency hearing is done for the day as Boston officials work to determine what to do with a North End restaurant's liquor license after a shooting allegedly involving its co-owner.
The licensing board is now reviewing if Patrick Mendoza's restaurant, Monica's Trattoria, will keep its liquor license. The Mendoza family owns multiple businesses in the North End.
A warrant is out for Mendoza's arrest. He has not been seen or heard from since July 12.
According to court documents, Mendoza threatened and then shot at someone last week in the North End. The bullet missed the target and went into a window of Modern Pastry.
Surveillance footage appears to show the suspect ride by on a bicycle, then fire at a man who ducks behind a car and runs. Court documents claim the men have had an ongoing feud for years.
The restaurant is asking the board to transfer the liquor license to a new manager, but members of the board expressed concerns about approving such an application without Mendoza's consent. During Thursday's hearing, members of the board asked for more documentation before making any decisions.
"This is really unprecedented. We do have precedence of transfers of manager records and approving such. But it's unprecedented that when called upon a manager of record is unavailable for a week, is evading the law and is accused of some serious crimes," one member of the board said.
The board gave Mendoza's attorney until the end of Friday to file an application for the restaurant manager to take over the license.
"What has been a successful family business should not be penalized at this point in time by putting people out of work," said William Ferullo, Mendoza's attorney.