A man yesterday pleaded guilty to a dozen charges following his assault on a policeman in Georgetown, which was captured on video.
Keron Joseph appeared before a city court, where he was read 13 charges. He was fined $137,000 in total after he pleaded guilty to 12 of them and he was granted $50,000 bail for his release after he denied the remaining charge.
Joseph was charged with two counts of assaulting a Peace Officer; resisting arrest; using indecent language; two counts of failing to produce a driver’s licence; using an uninsured vehicle; using an unlicensed vehicle; using an uncertified vehicle; using a vehicle with prohibited tinted glass; driving misconduct; and driving under the influence.
While he pleaded guilty to those charges, he denied the final charge, which states that on November 5th, at Cornhill and Hadfield streets, he negligently interrupted the free flow of traffic. In addition to the fine that was imposed against him, his driver’s licence was suspended for one year and he is expected to return before Magistrate Clive Nurse on January 7th, 2021 for his next hearing.
The police, in a press release, had said that the altercation occurred around 5pm on November 5th, when a police constable observed a heavily tinted car, bearing registration PSS5836, come to a stop on the road and interrupt the flow of traffic.
According to the release, the constable approached the driver and asked him to produce documents but he refused to do so twice. A second police constable who was in the area at the time later cautioned Joseph and attempted to arrest him but ended up being assaulted by the man. The police said that two other persons who were occupants of Joseph’s vehicle joined in the assault on the rank.
Meanwhile, in video footage of the incident seen by this newspaper, when the police officer asked the rank to produce his documents, he refused and was heard saying, “I have nothing more to tell you”. When the rank cautioned Joseph and told him that he was being arrested, he appeared to be resisting and was even seen with his hands on the neck of the police officer. Persons in the surrounding area were heard questioning the arrest and noted that the individual was a “soldier”.
The altercation between the driver and the police officer then drew attention as more persons became involved.
