Taxi and bus operators are insisting “enough is enough” after a 53-year-old driver was seen in a video being beaten by policemen on Monday morning. One transport group is calling for justice, as eye-witnesses tell our news team the driver did nothing to warrant the abuse.
Police sources confirmed the incident took place in Stony Hill, St. Andrew on Monday, and the driver has been identified as sixty-three-year-old Elkanah Sparkes.
CVM LIVE understands Sparkes refused to allow the police to impound his vehicle, which resulted in the physical altercation seen in the videos. President of the Transport Operators Development Sustainable Services Egeton Newman says the situation didn’t call for the driver to be assaulted and vouched for his character.
Newman says the incident has precedent, noting that members of the transport sector have been abused, physically and otherwise, by security forces in the past.
Our news team understands Sparkes was charged with careless driving, resisting arrest, and assaulting the police. However, several other taxi operators who were present say Sparkes did nothing to warrant the policeman’s actions. They say this will only further erode the relationship between the residents and the police.
Meanwhile, INDECOM boss Hugh Faulkner says investigations are being launched into the matter.
Reporter: Velonique Bowen
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