Woman, police in scuffle over alleged stolen drum

A SOUTH Rivers/Villa Point woman says an encounter with the police outside her home during which officers allegedly hit her and pinned her down, left her feeling ‘real bad’.

LENITTA WILLIAMS

The incident in question was filmed on different mobile devices and uploaded to social media, but Lenitta Williams said that she is glad that persons would be able to witness what she went through on the afternoon of Saturday, March 27.

“I feel real bad about the incident because the policeman them beat me up real bad. They ah beat me up real bad…” Williams stated, speaking two days after the confrontation.

“…Me children them say, whole time them ah say ‘Ma, policeman choke yo and the policeman beat you’” her voice breaking off with emotion. “…All this morning me daughter say ‘Ma the police dem ah come back for yo?’ Me tell them no the police nah come back for me.”

Her children – 15 years, five years, three years and 11 months – live with her and her boyfriend in a house at South Rivers and were present during the clash.

The series of events was apparently set in motion after a resident from the area, claimed that Williams had taken her $300 drum.

The first of two videos, begins in the yard of a house. Several people are looking on as Williams holds a drum, refusing to release it into the hands of what are said to be plainclothes police officers, who were also holding onto the drum.

A woman tells her to “leave them, let them gone with the drum”, but she still holds on.

The officers try and take her hands off the drum, but Williams is adamant about holding on.

They finally prise/push her away from the object and the person filming gets close to an officer in red and an officer in beige who are with Williams. A sound reverberates at which time the witnesses move together as one towards Williams and the officers.

“Wa dey” someone comments as this is happening. After the sound another says “Ay, ay, ay, ay. You cyar do that” and the crowd begins to repeatedly say ‘you cyar do that’, as the plain clothes officers hold Williams’ arms and keep her against a wall.

Williams resists, flailing her arms, but they are being held by an officer. A third officer who comes back on the scene after removing the drum tells Williams and another arguing woman to relax.

The woman, who gave her age as 31 years, and the officers appear to be speaking, but are not able to be heard in the video. The crowd continues to be vocal, telling the officers “you cyar lash the woman”. The officer in red makes a motion pulling his hand back, but it is not known what was the reason for this. The woman filming challenges: “lash um, lash um”.

Williams is still working hard to be released from the grip she is in, and moving her arms in wide circular motions.

The filming breaks as the holder of the phone argues with someone telling them “this ah my fri**in phone”.

By the time the camera pans back to Williams and the officers, Williams is sitting on the ground, with her back to the wall. The officers are standing above her, talking to her.

“Just stop, watch, watch, watch”, the camerawoman comments as she continues to film the group. As the camera gets closer, Williams is seen holding to the officer’s shirt, which is completely torn. The officers appear to be telling Williams not to push one of them.

“Leh go the woman, leh go the woman nuh” the person filming insists.

The officer with the torn shirt is continuing to grip, and an unknown motion from someone causes Williams’ head to be hit. It is not clear whether this was on purpose.

“Allyuh wicked” the crowd continues to admonish, “Watch how allyuh beat up the woman”, “Allyuh f***ing wrong, you cya do that.” Williams gets off the ground and makes a motion at the officer whose shirt is torn, and the two scuffle at arm’s length.

A woman tells the police that they’re too wicked.

Williams sits on the ground again, and another woman pulls at her shirts attempting to get her up but an officer stops this. The woman challenges this officer to lock her up.

The officer in red tells Williams that letting go the drum was a simple thing.

The woman filming goes to a child nearby who is crying and briefly calms him before heading back to the fray.

Arguing continues. Williams who is sitting on the ground continues a back and forth with the officers.

The video, five minutes and 19 seconds long, ends with her still in this position.

A second video is filmed after the police supposedly returned for Williams. A larger crowd of people has gathered as rumours circulated that the police had shot her.

“Another two jeep load of police again come back for me, and they ha me on the ground, push me down with me little eleven month old baby in me hand,” the mother recounted.

The second video shows her on her back in the porch. At least five male officers are around/involved while she is being handcuffed, and two female officers stand by.

While she was on the ground Williams said that officers “stamp me in me belly, kick me and all them kinda thing.”

On the video a crying child is taken by someone who appears to be an officer. According to Williams, they “tek up the baby off of me and put the baby on the ground.” She said she was kept at the Colonaire police station from 5 pm and was released at midnight. Williams said that she was charged many times over, and believes she has seven charges, including damage to property and assault.

Her whole body was hurting, she said, “all like me stomach hurting me, me hand and me foot, I cannot walk good and me hand swell.”

Williams also lamented, “Me eye when I watching the light it pulling like, [because] the man box me in me eye.”

Williams said she has made a complaint to the Public Relations Department of the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force(RSVGPF) but did not give them a statement.