Bodycam Footage Shows Mass. Rep. John Lawn’s July Drunk-Driving Arrest

The Boston Police Department has released body-camera video of the early-morning arrest of Massachusetts State Representative John J. Lawn, offering the first public look at the July 16 traffic incident that led to drunken-driving charges against the veteran Democrat. The footage shows Lawn, 56, stumbling, slurring his speech and dropping his driver’s license after his SUV struck a parked vehicle near the State House around 1:45 a.m. An officer can be heard instructing him through field-sobriety tests; Lawn declined a portable breathalyzer and was taken into custody on charges of operating under the influence of liquor and leaving the scene of property damage. In court last month, Lawn pleaded guilty to sufficient facts, resulting in a 45-day suspension of his driver’s license, probation, fines and mandatory alcohol treatment. The conviction will be dismissed if he stays offense-free for a year, a standard outcome for first-time OUI cases. Lawn, who represents the 10th Middlesex District and chairs the Legislature’s Health Care Financing Committee, has publicly apologized and said he accepts full responsibility for the incident.