The president of the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association said the torching of a Boston police cruiser during a "large-scale vehicle takeover" in the South End is the latest evidence of escalating violence towards police.

"We had a couple of officers who were attacked at a local school. We had a couple of officers who were attacked and physically assaulted at the MGM Theater. We had a police officer that was shot not so many weeks ago," union president Larry Calderone said.

Calderone blamed the problem on "lack of prosecution" and argued that the South End incident was "premeditated."

A Boston police cruiser that was set on fire. External Affairs Porter

"If we're wrong and it's just teenagers acting out, so be it. But I'm not going to wait for somebody to get hurt before we say

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