cannabisnews.com: Heroic Cop Prevents Tragedy at Pot Rally Heroic Cop Prevents Tragedy at Pot Rally Posted by FoM on September 19, 1999 at 10:57:43 PT by Mark Murphy Source: Boston Herald A heroic Boston police officer prevented a possible tragedy when he disarmed a gunman who was arrested on Boston Common during yesterday's annual rally to legalize marijuana. Police were about to book Kevin Lavalliere for possession of marijuana when the 19-year-old native of Goffstown, N.H., allegedly pulled a 9 mm pistol out of his pants. ``I ain't going for this,'' the man yelled. ``I'm going to kill you and myself!''Detective Sgt. Dan Linskey lunged forward in time to jam his finger in the pistol's trigger guard and Detective Sgt. Thomas O'Leary grabbed Lavalliere's left arm, sending all three tumbling into the side of the tent. Several other officers joined in the struggle for the weapon, which turned out to be fully loaded with 12 bullets, police spokesman Peter Norton said.``He had some pretty serious firepower there,'' Norton said. ``It's amazing no one was hurt or killed. The spontaneous actions of these officers was truly remarkable.''Lavalliere was one of about 70 people arrested at the rally yesterday. About 40,000 people attended the event.Linskey suffered a badly cut finger in the incident. Lavalliere is charged with assault with intent to murder, assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm with an altered serial number, possession of marijuana and unlawful possession of ammunition. He is also wanted in New Hampshire on a warrant for selling crack cocaine.Boston police have made about 280 arrests at the rally over the past three years. The event is now in its 10th year.Yesterday's incident certainly didn't help the cause of the day's rally, which was aimed at building support for a November 2000 election referendum that would reduce a charge of possession from a criminal to a civil offense.A charge of selling marijuana to a person under 18 would remain a criminal offense. The proposed legislation would also legalize the use of marijuana for health reasons.Despite yesterday's police presence, with officers stationed at checkpoints and undercover officers moving through the crowd, the scent of marijuana filled the air.Greg Cavalieri, an Endicott College freshman, looked at the larger groups on the lawn - most of college and high school age - and tugged on the green plastic cannabis lei around his neck.``So many people are doing it here,'' he said. ``Just go in among a group of people and there's no problem. But I've seen people just walking up and down here smoking joints. You can't help but smell it.''Nor did the warnings of Boston police completely fall on deaf ears. Tracy Meyer, a 31-year-old employee in a Boston real estate firm, attended her fifth rally yesterday with a cautious approach in mind.``I have some very definite rules,'' she said. ``You don't buy anything from anyone here, and I prefer not to smoke here. That's not to say that if I find my friends, and they want to go off somewhere quiet, that we won't do it.''Sunday, September 19, 1999Boston HeraldThousands Rally in Support of Marijuana - 9/18/99http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread2933.shtml END SNIP --> Snipped Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #1 posted by FoM on September 19, 1999 at 18:48:49 PT: Related Article 40,000 Attend Pro-Marijuana Freedom Rally in Boston MSNBCSeptember 19, 1999http://www.msnbc.com/BOSTON Roughly 40,000 people packed the Boston Common Saturday for the 10th annual rally in support of the legalization of marijuana.Click the link to read more:http://www.msnbc.com/local/WJAR/220308.aspDrc Net's Cops Against The Drug Warhttp://www.drcnet.org/cops/cops.htmlMassCann Rally Supportershttp://www.masscann.org/ [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: