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Police refute claim of “beating taxi-driver”

Nov 19, 2010 News

The two police officers who were involved in the incident, where taxi driver Colin Williams also known as “Robin”, alleged that he was “beaten” at the Stabroek Market area, are refuting this claim.
The officers who have been identified as Lance Corporal Orlanzo Webster and Constable Ivan Roopnarine, sent statements to this newspaper, explaining what transpired at the scene.
According to Robin’s claim, he was parked not too far from the back gate of the market, closer to the stelling, when the two “black clothes policemen” approached him and told him “ yuh park wrong here”.
Robin was puzzled and asked the officers, ‘I park wrong?” and then he pulled out his cellular phone from his pocket to make a call.
It was then that the alleged assault from the police officers began.
However, according to the officers’ statements, they were patrolling at the back of the Stabroek Market and the Central Fire Station areas when they observed a “heavy build up” of traffic, which ended in the vicinity of the Ministry of Labour.
They proceeded ahead to verify the cause for the traffic congestion and “observed there was a car # PLL 3103 parked in the middle of the junction which merged Brickdam road and the entrance behind the Central Fire Station”.
According to Lance Corporal Webster’s statement, this prevented the free flow of traffic and as such he located the driver, who was identified to be “Marvin Williams”, and instructed Williams to move the car, which he hesitantly did.
Webster said that they went away, continuing their patrol, and about 10 to 15 minutes later, they returned to the area and observed that “there was a reoccurrence of the said build up of traffic”. They continued along the route to find that the same car, PLL 3103, was parked again at the same location, which Williams was instructed to remove his vehicle from earlier.
It was then that Webster told Williams to “move the car and proceed to the station” and Williams refused to comply with those instructions. As a result, Williams was asked to produce his driver’s license and he once more refused, this time “greeting” Webster with obscene language.
During his confrontation with the police, Williams told the officers that the car belonged to “ASP Brown” and they were told, “Yuh can’t do me nuttin”. He continued to insult the officers, raising his voice, causing a crowd to be attracted.
Williams then drove his car into a corner and Webster reminded the driver that he was instructed to drive to the Brickdam Police Station.
Webster’s statement went on to say that Williams “started to make threats saying he will done we dance” if they “continued to molest him”. Webster stated that he told Williams of the offences which he committed and then instructed Constable Roopnarine to carry out a search on Williams.
While the constable was in the process of searching Williams, the driver had his cellular phone to his ear, and he was told by Constable Roopnarine to “move his phone from his ear and subject himself properly”, which he refused to do.
It was when the constable took possession of the cellular phone to conduct the search properly that Williams “immediately swung around and put one slap on Constable Roopnarine which caused him to mis-balance and fall to the ground”.
Webster further stated that while the constable was on the ground, Williams “swiftly and aggressively pulled out a knife and attempted to bore Constable Roopnarine” and that he put his left hand in the path to block the impact which Williams’ knife would have on the Constable.
Webster continued to “scuffle” with Williams and managed to get the knife away from him. Williams “became exhausted and fell down” and Webster called for a patrol, which took Williams to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).
Williams was seen by a doctor and the knife and cellular phone were lodged at the Brickdam Police Station Enquiries Office with both officers’ medical certificates.
Constable Roopnarine’s statement also supports Lance Corporal Webster’s, and other eye-witnesses have come forward and given stories that support the police officers’ claims.

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