High Speed Police Chase Ends in Arrest of Young man

A high speed police chase on Independence Street in Roseau last night ended in the arrest of one young man and a number of persons expressing outrage over the police handling of the matter.

Hugo Riley of Bath Estate was arrested after the scooter he was riding was broadsided and run-off the road by police vehicle registration number GA 334 on the corner of King George V Street and Independence Street.  The incident occurred somewhere between 9:30pm and 10:00pm on Sunday.

Officers then subdued Riley at gunpoint who had been knocked to the ground from the impact, handcuffed and held him over in the police vehicle for several minutes before finally driving him off presumably tot he Princess Margaret Hospital.

Riley did not appear to have sustained any major external injuries.

There are conflicting reports as to exactly what happened. According to one eye witness, the police were in hot pursuit of Riley when he appeared to have slowed significantly or stopped abruptly on approaching the stop line. The police in rounding the corner clipped the rear of the scooter.

Others however say, that notwithstanding the fact that the police had turned on the siren, there was no chase and that Riley had come to a complete stop on the corner of King Gerege V Street and Independence Street when the police deliberately knocked him off his scooter and unto the road.

“The officer jam the man blatantly; the man stopped on the stop line and the police just come and jam the man blatantly and on top of that they still pull a gun on him” one man said.

Many of the bystanders expressed outrage that the police acted inappropriately, maliciously and with excessive force.

One police officer however said they were tailing Riley when he started acting suspiciously and riding recklessly. “We were driving behind him and he was just going from left to right. .. He went on the sidewalk, like crazy on the sidewalk. When we turned on the siren this guy just started speeding so we say something had to be wrong. When we reached [the stop line] he stopped suddenly and he turned around. That’s when we happen to touch him” he said.

Riley however categorically denied the officer’s version of the incident accusing him of lying.

The scooter was loaded unto another police pick-up truck and the officers who were involved in the chase drove off with Riley several minutes thereafter without any report made or statements taken by the traffic department.