LAWRENCE — A firefighter was bitten, a woman's face sliced with a razor, and the front window of Malaya's nightclub shattered as city clubs emptied early yesterday morning and violence erupted in downtown Lawrence again, police said.
Just after 1 a.m., some 800 people jammed the Essex and Newbury street area creating "near riot conditions" and "mayhem" for an undermanned police shift to contend with, officers said.
At least three people were stabbed and three others arrested for disorderly conduct and mayhem after closing time.
Fire Lt. James Flynn was bitten in the elbow and forearm by Cosme Ramos, 29, of Methuen, a stabbing victim he was trying to medically treat, according to police reports.
Police found Judiley Mejia, 27, of Charlestown, bleeding from her head, face and arms as she lay on the sidewalk at Essex and Newbury streets.
Mejia told police she was held to the ground by several women and had her forehead, temple and upper arm sliced with a razor. Her injuries were not life-threatening, but police said Mejia was permanently disfigured and would require reconstructive and plastic surgery.
"It now appears Mejia will be scarred for life," Sgt. Michael Simard wrote in his report.
Angry crowds tried to block police officers and paramedics who were trying to treat injured people yesterday morning. Another stabbing victim told police he bit a man's ear off and spit it on the ground somewhere nearby, according to police reports.
Hearing radio calls for back up, officers who were on their way home came back into work to assist their outnumbered colleagues. State troopers and neighboring Methuen police officers were also called to control the "large, unruly and hostile crowd," police said.
Since July 2010, when Lawrence police lost 40 positions largely due to layoffs and attrition, the department has grappled for resources to control weekend violence — particularly nightclub-driven incidents downtown.
Police Chief John Romero described yesterday's situation as "complete chaos."
"It was almost the better part of a half-hour before things were under control," he said. "And potentially, this can happen every weekend. ... The common denominator here is alcohol. That's the common denominator in all this stuff."
Romero pointed to "overserving" of alcohol in the nightclubs. "This is what is left for police to deal with," he said.
Based on Census figures, the state recently said the city could issue another five alcohol licenses. Lawrence now issues 78 liquor licenses and Romero called any addition to that a recipe for disaster.
"The bottom line is we don't need more. We need less of these (alcohol) licensed establishments," he said.
In his report from Sunday morning, Officer Christopher Bussey said "the streets were packed with unruly and out-of-control patrons from the area nightclubs."
As Bussey tried to help a man who was stabbed, "large crowds of angry people were continuing to come at us, yelling and trying to push past us while swearing and not following our commands," he wrote in his report.
"I radioed for assistance, however, other officers were requesting assistance in other areas of the Newbury and Essex street area. All officers were on hand ... we were outnumbered and at one point a bottle was thrown at me," he added.
Sgt. John Dushame referred to the "large, unruly crowd gathered on both sides of the intersection of Common and Newbury streets" that he encountered. As firefighters and paramedics tried to help a stabbing victim, the "medics were surrounded by a large group, who were pushing their way to the patient. After several minutes, myself and several officers were able to push the crowd back" so the stabbing victim could be loaded into an ambulance, Dushame wrote.
Officer Carlos Vieira reported an identically hostile crowd saying hundreds were "crowding the streets, stopping traffic and making access to and from the area come to a standstill."
He said the crowds and fighting were at full tilt when he heard glass shatter at nearby Malaya's nightclub. The club's front window was reportedly broken by a man with a gun, police said.
"I advised Lawrence dispatch that more cruisers were needed as the crowds were becoming more violent and were growing in numbers. I saw several vehicles stopping in traffic with their occupants exiting and joining in the disruption," Vieira wrote.
The stabbing victims included Mejia, whose face was seriously slashed, and Ramos, of 25 Annis St., Methuen, who was motionless and bleeding profusely from his thigh area when police found him near 99 Essex St.
The third stabbing victim, Wady Ynoa, 29, of 181 Water St., Lawrence was stabbed in his spleen, police said. At the hospital, Vieira asked Ynoa what happened to him. He allegedly said, "I bit a guy's ear off. I know I did. I spit it on the ground...," according to Vieira's report.
All three victims were taken to Lawrence General Hospital. Ramos was later transferred to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, and Mejia to Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
Facing arraignment in Lawrence District Court this morning are Maricuz Gutierrez, 37, of Boston, who was charged with disorderly conduct, and Aracelis Gonzalez, 21, of Boston who was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, two counts, and mayhem.
Johnathan Mejia, 29, of 170 Amesbury St., Lawrence was also arrested and charged with resisting arrest, assault and battery on a police officer and disorderly conduct.
Mayor William Lantigua previously created a task force to combat nightclub violence. The group, comprised of police officers, was supposed to be paid by nightclub donations.
However, a study earlier this year of Club Task Force, revealed many clubs weren't making contributions for the extra safety patrols.
Lantigua did not return a message last night seeking comment for this story.
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