Another traffic policeman was on Saturday afternoon assaulted by an irate minibus driver, who was being given a traffic violation ticket.
The incident occurred at about 17:00 h on Saturday. Reports are that the lance corporal that was attacked and beaten by the minibus driver, was proffering traffic duties with a female colleague on Montrose Public Road, East Coast Demerara.
According to the Guyana Police Force, they cops stopped minibus, BAC 2287, driven by Okemi Omali Harry, a 30-year-old of Middle Street, Ann’s Grove, ECD for speeding.
The GPF in a statement said that the driver was told of the offense and asked to produce his driver’s licence. According to the statement while the lance corporal was in the process of writing Harry a ticket, he then made attempts to take away his licence from the cop, who refused.
“The driver then started to assault the Police rank. A mobile patrol responded and the driver was subsequently arrested and placed into custody pending charges,” the GPF said in a statement.
In a video recorded during the incident and seen by this publication, Harry can be seen punching the cop, choking him and pushing him to the ground.
The video, which was circulated on social media, has caused outraged with persons calling for more stiffer penalties for assault and battery of law enforcement officers. This is the third incident for the week where a policeman has been assaulted.
On November 24, Nicholas Balkishun, a 28-year-old tailor of Lot 108 Best Road, West Bank Demerara, pleaded guilty to three charges stemming from his assault of a Policeman, which was captured on video.
Arraigned before Magistrate Faith Mc Gusty at the Wales Magistrate’s Court, Balkishun pleaded guilty to behaving disorderly, assaulting a peace officer, and driving under the influence (DUI). He has been fined a total of $27,500, broken down as follows: $10,000 for the disorderly behaviour charge; $10,000 for assaulting the Police officer, and $7,500 for the DUI charge.
According to reports, Balkishun was arrested by traffic officers for driving under the influence (DUI) on Wednesday, and was taken to the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station. While there, he became involved in an altercation with about three Policemen, and was caught on video slapping one of the Policemen in the face.
“I would cuff yuh in yuh f$#%ing face!” Balkishun was heard telling another Policeman.
Police Headquarters have reported that Balkishun has also been charged with damage to property and with using abusive language. He will appear at the Vreed-en-Hoop Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
On November 22, two teenagers from Angoy’s Avenue in New Amsterdam, Berbice, who were caught on video assaulting a Policeman, were arrested. Their arrest came shortly after a video recording which began circulating on social media showed the duo jointly attacking and assaulting the Police rank. That incident occurred just after 08:00h on Tuesday. The duo, Quincy King, 18, and Christopher Abrams, 19, are expected to be charged with multiple offences, including assaulting a peace officer.
Police Headquarters reported that the Policeman was providing the teens with traffic instructions and directions, but they failed to comply with those instructions and an argument ensued. Upon trying to caution the men, the Policeman was knocked to the ground by the duo, and was then forced to get on his feet and defend himself from an aggressive and abusive Abrams, whom the video showed punching the cop about his body.
