Thirty-year-old Damien Randolph, of 4th Avenue, Peterkin Road, St Michael, says giving?good advice landed him on the wrong side of the law yesterday.
Randolph apparently tried being a peacemaker in a confrontation between the police and the crew of a minibus in Eagle Hall, St Michael, yesterday morning.
Reporting his case to the SATURDAY?SUN, Randolph complained of police brutality, saying the officers stomped on a toe, forced him into a vehicle and eventually kicked him out of the patrol car.
In response to the complaint, police public relations officer Inspector David Welch suggested that Randolph go to the Police Complaints Authority on Hincks Street, St Michael, to make a complaint.
However, Randolph said he preferred to go public because nothing might come of complaining to the police and the Police Complaints Authority.
Randolph said around 8:45 a.m the police moved to offload passengers from a minibus which travelled up President Kennedy Drive to an Eagle Hall bus stop.
“After the van got offloaded, [the driver] turned off the [engine] and then he got an attitude and crossed the road and stood next to me and a couple more people,” Randolph said.
“I told the driver it did not make sense making bad for yourself; go back to the [police] and let them report you ’cause you could be arrested for that because that is failing to comply with the police officer.”
He added: “I don’t know if the officer hear me tell the driver so or whatever. The police officer ran across the road and grabbled me up, pushing me toward the police car.”
Randolph said while he was in the car the police told him that he “could take what happen to me and go along peacefully or they would come back and find something to charge me for”.
He said they drove him to an avenue near where he lived. “The policeman who was sitting on my right side reached across me and opened the door and kicked me out of the car. He pulled back in the door and the driver went along,” he claimed.
He said he had spent most of the day trying to get medical treatment. (JS)
