Persons outside the precincts of the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday morning witnessed a showdown between a prisoner and police officers, during which it is alleged that the prisoner was kicked in the face.{{more}}

One eyewitness told SEARCHLIGHT that he saw what appeared to him to be a police officer dressed in black shirt and red tie, carrying a prisoner to the police transportation.

The man, who preferred anonymity, said the prisoner was reacting in an erratic manner and that the police officer was hitting him.

“When the man wid de handcuff been sitting in the vehicle, de police been hitting him still and is like some other police officers come and hold him back from hitting the man,” the man said.

He added that when the prisoner continued to act up and attempted to come out of the vehicle, a police officer in uniform came from the driver’s seat of the vehicle and kicked the man in he face.

“Is like the prisoner been trying to go back at the police and I see the driver come and hold on pon top de vehicle and kicked the man in he face,” the eyewitness recounted.

“The prisoner been getting on bad eh, but it had more than one officer there. They coulda deal with him better than that,” he said.

A woman, who also wanted not to be identified, said she saw when the uniformed officer kicked the man in his face.

“I hear he tell de man (prisoner) to go back in the [expletive] van when he been trying to come out,” she recalled.

When contacted, Deputy Commissioner of Police Renold Hadaway told SEARCHLIGHT that he was not aware of the matter.

Hadaway said the matter will be investigated.(KW)