NICHOLL’S TOWN, ANDROS — A 45-year-old grandmother told Eyewitness News she is shocked and traumatized after she was allegedly assaulted by a reservist police officer over a dispute at an ATM in North Andros.
The incident that reportedly left Jenesta Rolle-Wallace bloodied and bruised, also deeply impacted her young grandchildren who witnessed the incident that took place sometime around 4pm at the Nicholl’s Town facility on Friday.
While tensions are often high over the use of the area’s only banking facility, Rolle-Wallace said the attack was unprecedented and unprovoked.
“I don’t (feel safe),” Rolle-Wallace said in an interview today.
“From then to now I don’t sleep, I have insomnia. My grandchildren who was in the car witnessed it, they don’t sleep. They didn’t even go to school some of them, the trauma. To see a big male officer, knock they grammy, they mommy, they aunty to the ground. I don’t sleep for pain at night, but here it is he is out, he is comfortable., riding around living his life like nothing occured.”
She said: “I don’t sleep my leg is stitched up, my backside is swollen and blood bruised up, my face is swollen. It’s not fair to me, it’s everything, emotionally, mentally, physically, it’s too much.”
Rolle-Wallace said she dropped her daughter off to use the ATM and remained in the car with her other daughter and two grandchildren.
On the line, her daughter was allowed to take the space of another relative near the front of the queue.
Rolle-Wallace claimed that the reservist officer, clad in his all-blue uniform, came into the ATM and asked her daughter to also complete a transaction for him.
However, Rolle-Wallace said her daughter refused the officer because she had been given someone else’s spot and did not wish to anger other people on the line.
She said the reservist was formerly a senior police officer but had since retired.
The officer allegedly became angry and began to berate her daughter, who came to the door of the ATM and called for Wallace-Rolle.
Wallace-Rolle said when she went inside, her daughter was at the machine and the reservist officer was behind her daughter heckling her with threats of arrest.
“I came in peace, I was talking to him like I would speak to my small little grandbaby, trying to calm the situation,” she said.
“At the time people getting impatient, the lines are long and we only have one ATM in North Andros and everyone have to come and use it.
“He wouldn’t listen, and my daughter said he kept pushing and shoving her and touching her while she was at the machine. I said please, allow her to just finish using the machine. He kept carrying on. Even though through all of that she still ended up using the machine, but as we were coming out he pushed her back and I say officer why you pushing her like that.”
Wallace-Rolle continued: “He said she was under arrest and that he called officers to come for her. I said just let us come out and wait on the officers so other people could use the machine. She tried to come out a second time, and then he held her on her throat and started to choke her. That made me upset but before I had a chance to go at him, he balled his fist, his right hand to be exact and it had a ring on it and he punched me, and when he punched me the impact and strength and force he punched me with I fell to the ground backwards.”
Wallace-Rolle acknowledged that due to her size, she was injured by the fall and further scraped and bruised her knees and legs as she attempted to stand back up.
She said: “I didn’t even realize I was bleeding, I was shocked and stunned. I don’t know where that came from, I wasn’t cursing or doing nothing out the way. I was just crying peace. My grandson came out of the car and hugged me and he was crying, and my granddaughter was crying.
“At that point, I don’t know what else took place but I know he hit my daughter. He also punch up my other daughter who he was choking. Everything just went crazy from there.”
Rolle-Wallace said she has filed a report, and was notified by police that the matter would be sent to the Complaints and Corruption Unit.
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