The Guyana Police Force yesterday said that a thorough investigation has been launched into the torching of a car at Hopetown, West Coast Berbice following an accident that injured two persons.
Residents in Hopetown, West Coast Berbice on Sunday evening torched a Mazda RX8 car on the main public road after it was involved in the accident.
According to the force’s statement, around 5.26 pm on Sunday, a 19-year-old of Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice, went to the Fort Wellington Police Station and reported that a few minutes earlier, he was driving a motor car, PNN 1801 on the Hopetown Public Road, “when two men on pedal cycle rode in front of him, causing him to collide with one of the men.”
The statement noted that he claimed that moments later, a crowd gathered at the scene and persons present robbed him of his iPhone Pro Max and one gold chain.
“As a result of the report, a rank uplifted a medical certificate and attempted to escort the teen driver to seek medical attention at the Fort Wellington Public Hospital. As he was about to do so, the teenager’s father, a 43-year-old businessman of Bath Settlement, began verbally abusing the Police. The teen driver also refused to be escorted to the hospital, instead entering a motor vehicle that drove off”, the police said.
As of yesterday afternoon, both the businessman and his teenage son remained in police custody.
After the report by the teen driver, the police then left to visit the accident scene at Hopetown, and on arrival, it was observed that the motor car was stationary on the southern footpath facing south with extensive damage to the front. There was no key in the vehicle.
“Public-spirited citizens pulled out the vehicle from the said position to be escorted to the Fort Wellington Police Station. However, several angry residents lifted the vehicle back to the southern side of the road and began to damage the vehicle”, the police said.
The police at the scene tried to calm the crowd, but several persons began to vandalize the vehicle, and some chanted, ‘let’s burn the vehicle’, the police report added.
Police then contacted a private tow truck service to take the vehicle to the Fort Wellington Police Station. However, when the tow truck arrived, “and whilst loading the motor car several persons tried to prevent the vehicle from being loaded onto the truck.”
Superintendent Guy Nurse, ASP Kelly, and a party of police ranks tried to calm the situation. However, the angry residents at that stage threw a liquid substance on the motor car and started to throw missiles at the motor car and tow truck.
“The crowd became uncontrollable and damaged the front windshield of the tow truck, the side glass, and other parts of the vehicle, and then they set fire to the motor car”, the police said.
The Guyana Fire Service was then contacted, and shortly after arrived at the scene and extinguished the fire.
The motor car was then later towed to the Fort Wellington Police Station, while one electrical cycle was escorted to Fort Wellington Police Station and lodged, along with a pedal cycle.
Commander of Region Five, Kurleigh Simon yesterday said that while persons attempted to take the matter into their own hands and torched the vehicle, they have somewhat impeded the investigation as the vehicle would have had to be certified following the accident.
Meanwhile, those injured in the collision are a 22-year-old, who is a serving member of the Guyana Defence Force, and a 14-year-old pedal cyclist.
They were both taken to Fort Wellington Public Hospital, where the 14-year-old was treated and sent away, while the 22-year-old was referred to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital, where he has since been admitted.
According to his sister yesterday, he sustained injuries to his head, face and body. She said the young man spoke for a bit and told her that he was parked on his electric cycle when the car allegedly drove into him.
