A 29-year-old father of two died yesterday morning after jumping onto a moving car and being dragged into several parked vehicles on D’Urban Street, Lodge.
The police last night said that they are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of David Barclay of Triumph, East Coast Demerara.
Enquiries revealed that Barclay had approached the suspect in a bid to have a tyre on his vehicle repaired. An argument then ensued over payment during which the suspect took a knife and slashed a tyre on Barclay’s car.
The suspect thereafter jumped into a vehicle and said that after he drove off Barclay jumped onto the front door of the right side and held on to him, causing him to lose control and to crash into several vehicles which were parked.
The police said that the victim who fell onto the roadway was taken to the Georgetown Public
Hospital Corporation where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The body is at the Hospital’s mortuary awaiting a post mortem.
The suspect is in police custody assisting with the investigation.
The incident occurred in front of the Serenity Bar on Upper D’Urban Street after the two men were in a heated argument over payment, an eyewitness said.
“I was awakened around 2:30 am to the sound of a crash which was followed by my neighbour’s calls for me. When I came down, she told me to come outside because somebody crashed into my car. I went outside and saw the whole back of my car smashed in and a man lying on the road with a woman holding his head up but he was already dead,” Mark Remington, who operates the Serenity Bar, told Stabroek News yesterday.
“The guy (the suspect) must have stopped but he was on the scene and then police, fire (service) and an ambulance came. As I told you, the man was already dead so everybody waited and the police took him (the suspect) into custody…I had to go this morning to the East La Penitence Station to give a statement,” he added.
Another eyewitness said that he had just returned home from a wedding and parked his vehicle on the opposite side and was heading down into his yard when he heard “loud cussing” but he did not turn back until he heard “about four ‘Baps’ . “What I heard was ‘I aint paying you nothing and you could do what you want’, but with nuff words I don’t want to repeat,” he said.
“It sounded like several vehicles crashing into one another so I swing back to see if one was me own. Everything happened so quick cause by the time I get back out I see a man pon de ground bleeding that I think a drunk man knock he down. I didn’t realize the cussing and the accident was the same people,” he said.
“I think he took the keys and was driving off and the guy plunged into the vehicle to tussle with him and he sped off and slam he into those cars on that side. He didn’t knock him down and pull him,” he added.
Meanwhile, owners of the five vehicles which were damaged during the incident are seeking answers about repairs.
Remington said that he was given a quote for some $300,000 to replace the door, side lights and back windscreen of his car, while his neighbour yesterday afternoon had mechanics working on his vehicle.
“I use my vehicle for my business and while it can be driven, the back door cannot be opened and the side is of no use. I cannot drive it around like that anyway. Who will fix this?” he questioned.
They said that a police sergeant’s vehicle which was parked behind Remington’s was also badly damaged.
