Man knocked out, run over by jeep, woman injured

Just a few months after Winston ‘Philly’ Gaymes lost his life on the busy Layou main road, another man suffered almost the same fate last weekend.{{more}}

Shortly after 10 p.m. on Sunday, November 7, just after the meeting of the Unity Labour Party (ULP) on the Layou Waterfront had ended, a fight broke out between individuals, which left at least two persons seeking medical attention, including one man who was run over by a vehicle.

According to one eyewitness, the melee began to unfold when one male accosted a young lady who had just left the political meeting.

“I hear the first slap echo, and when I look around, I see the man buss the girl head with a bottle.”

“From the time she try grab him, he hit she another slap and she fall down in the gutter and didn’t move; like if she dead.”

“Her sister who was with her run down the road and started to bawl for murder.”

The eyewitness, who did not wish to be identified, said that when persons saw what the man, known only to SEARCHLIGHT as ‘Chris’ had done to the young woman, an argument started between them and the man, which was followed by an altercation between the man and someone said to be the girl’s uncle, identified as ‘Mello.’

‘Chris’ attempted to retreat to an SUV- PR 637, which was parked on a side street, which had an individual or individuals waiting inside.

As ‘Chris’ attempted to escape, the growing mob made his getaway difficult by blocking his path and partially pulling him out of the vehicle.

“That is when he lose control of the vehicle and hit the (Searchlight) van and almost crash into the gutter.”

“The people then grab him and pull him out of the vehicle and continue to beat him. I thought they were going to kill him because he was getting licks from all sides.”

“That man (the uncle) was giving him some real blows.”

The eyewitness to the drama said that it was at this point that a passenger exited the vehicle and used a huge piece of wood to bash the girl’s uncle over his head.

The eyewitness said the man fell unconscious to the ground.

The assailant allegedly then hit a woman, identified as the girl’s mother with the wood.

“After that, he jump in the driver side of the jeep and drive away. He run over the man who he hit with the wood. That is when I swear he dead too.”

Moments later, police officers who were providing security at the political meeting turned up on the scene and the unconscious man was whisked away in a police vehicle.

The melee then moved to the Layou Police Station, where numerous persons turned up to give varying reports on the matter.

The eyewitness said that the situation could have been avoided if police officers, who were first on the scene, had taken appropriate action.

He said that two officers came to see what was happening and then left.

“The thing that disturb me is that there was police on the scene when the thing just started and they never did anything when people show them who hit the girl. I think that is why the thing escalate so, because the people see that the police not doing anything and they decided to take things into their own hands.”

Up to press time, Monday afternoon, no arrests concerning the incident had been made .