Family alleges police brutality
It has all the elements of a drama you see played out on American TV cop shows. Except that the plot in this story unfolds at number forty Faber’s Road in Belize City in the early hours of Friday morning. Police went to the home of twenty-four year old Jason Crawford to search for a weapon believed to be somewhere in the building. But the ensuing commotion around four-thirty this morning has left the young man facing some serious charges and his mother alleging police brutality.
Jason Crawford, Alleges Police Brutality
“I never even open no door, they broke down the door and they start chance me and handcuff me.”
Patrick Jones
“Did you in any way assault the police officers as they are alleging?”
Jason Crawford
“No, all I tell them well because they are in their uniform, they chance people, that’s all I tell them. Nothing else besides that I noh tell them. Then they tell me bout, if my people them nevah deh deh, them mi wah beat me up and bruk me up…And then they throw me inna the back hand cuff up, pull me by my hair, then they got one of them weh name Barrow slap up me, then when I reach downstairs dah the station, they loose the cuff off of me then they slap me up wah two, three time, then punch me up.”
Yolanda Montejo, Alleging Police Brutality
“They took me to the station, I never have on no underwear, I mi only have on wah night gown on me and my husband come same time and he asked them what they are going to do with me, so they tell him that they are going to press charges against me.”
Patrick Jones
“So your complaint basically is that the police took you practically naked to the police station?”
Yolanda Montejo
“Yes because, well I would say naked because from the time I no have on no underwear that is practically naked. I just have on a see through nightgown. And the Spanish police, same thing weh he do with him, choke him. The same thing he do with me because see I still have a mark on me right here so.”
Crawford was today charged with uttering indecent words, resisting lawful arrest and assaulting a police officer. He is out on bail and is to reappear in court next week. According to Police Press Officer G. Michael Reid, Montejo was not charged because she was never arrested. Reid says that when the police took her son into custody, Montejo, clad only in her nightgown, jumped into the police vehicle with Crawford and proceeded to administer a good cussing on the officers. Reid says the police were justified in kicking down Crawford’s door because they had information that there was a firearm at the house and the accused refused to open the door. He denied that there was unnecessary use of force. Montejo and Crawford say they intend to file a complaint with the police high command, but up until late this evening, Reid says no such report had been made.
