Youth alleges being beaten by police for no reason

A Green Hill resident is alleging that he was beaten by a group of police officers for no reason.{{more}}

Ackeem Foster, 23, told SEARCHLIGHT that he was on his way to visit his girlfriend in Green Hill on April 24, when he was stopped by men in a pickup truck.

“I was approached by a government vehicle, G67, with a group of men in the back,” Foster said. “Now, they didn’t address me as police, but after I realize how they aggressively asked my name…”

Foster said when he was asked his name, he cooperated fully, after which the men came out of the truck and performed a search on him.

“After the search, I was expecting for them to let go me on my way, but … two others came down from the truck, grabbed me by my pants and tossed me up in the truck,” he said.

The young man, who is training to be an electrician, said he missed three days of work because of the incident.

“After I reach in the truck, they just repeatedly started beating me, stomping me and stuff like that,” Foster stated.

Foster’s sister, Chantal, said that her brother was not charged with any offence and that the officers dropped her brother home after the alleged beating.

Although no marks of the incident on Foster’s body could be seen, he showed SEARCHLIGHT a receipt and papers for an X-Ray examination that had to be done on his lower back. He also produced a prescription for painkillers, as he said that he had pains in his lower back.

Furthermore, the Green Hill resident claims that he does not know why he was beaten by the men.

“I realized that they were police and basically tried to cooperate with them,” Foster declared. “I missed three days of work because of this event and I just got the work. It really put me in a spot”.

Chantal says her brother has no police record.

“He has never been in trouble,” she said.

She also said Foster and his aunt lodged a complaint at the Central Police Station the day after the incident.

The Police Public Relations and Complaints Department confirmed that a matter concerning Foster was being investigated.(BK)