A Route 48 minibus driver who was seen in a viral video chasing a traffic rank with a cutlass has been sentenced to 12 months behind bars.
Collis Whyte appeared before two Magistrates at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts today when he was sentenced, fined and also remanded after facing multiple charges. He was first arraigned before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly in Court Two, where he was charged and admitted to resisting arrest, threatening behaviour towards a peace officer, using indecent language toward a police officer and having a dangerous weapon. He denied a related charge of behaving disorderly in a public place
He was sentenced to six months imprisonment for the resisting arrest charge and six months imprisonment for threatening the officer. He was also sentenced to 12 months behind bars for having an offensive weapon. The sentences will run concurrently. Additionally, Whyte was fined $10,000 for the use of indecent language and he was remanded until May 17, for the disorderly behaviour charge.
He was also hauled before Magistrate Clive Nurse in Court Seven, where he was charged with dangerous driving, improper conduct of driver, failure to wear seatbelt, breach of prescribed fitness, failing to give right of way, and failure to wear face mask. He pleaded not guilty to all of the charges except the charge of failure to wear a seatbelt, for which he was fined $7,500. He was granted a total of $200,000 on the dangerous drivingt charges and $10,000 bail on each of the other counts.
Despite being granted bail, Whyte will not be released due to his sentencing.
Police had said that the rank, Constable Connelly, was on a motorcycle patrol proceeding west on Homestretch Avenue while minibus BZZ 3029, driven by Whyte, was proceeding east on the same road. The traffic rank observed the driver of the bus overtaking a line of traffic of approximately 15 vehicles.
As a result, the driver was stopped and told of the offence – considered to be dangerous driving – and was asked to produce his driver’s licence. However, according to police, the driver failed to comply and drove away.
The traffic cop gave chase and was able to catch up with the driver and the bus on Sheriff Street, where he stopped the driver for a second time. In a video circulated on Facebook, it shows that after the bus was pulled over, a third party, a female, who appeared to be the conductor, tried to prevent the situation from escalating. She can be seen standing between the rank and the driver, who remained in the bus.
However, as the traffic rank pressed for the driver to exit the vehicle, he stepped out seemingly in a rage and went to the left passenger side where he armed himself with a weapon, which appeared to be a cutlass and then pursued Constable Connelly.
The constable then fled in a bid to prevent himself from being hurt, police said. After the chase, the driver got back into the minibus and drove to his Sophia residence, where he was later arrested by a patrol and taken to the Brickdam Police Station where he remains in custody.
