“It should never be justified that someone can assault a citizen or a police officer”
Backup officer “came out of nowhere”
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A 23-year-old man yesterday pleaded guilty to a series of charges in relation to an altercation with a police officer during an arrest on Tonique Williams Darling Highway earlier this week.
Julien Butler appeared before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt and was charged with driving in a manner dangerous to the public, driving whilst not covered against third-party risk insurance, and driving with no valid driver’s license.
Butler pleaded guilty to all three charges.
He previously pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest but pleaded not guilty to unlawful possession.
Prosecutors allege that on Monday, Constable Tyrese Smith was on motorcycle patrol when he saw Butler run a red light on a scooter on Cordeaux Avenue and then proceed to Coconut Grove.
The officer reportedly pursued Butler and beckoned for him to stop, which he initially did.
Smith advised him that he was stopped for running the light and asked him to produce a valid driver’s license, which the suspect said he did not have.
Prosecutors said the officer advised Butler that it was an offense to be operating a motorcycle while not in possession of a valid ID and when the officer went back to his vehicle to retrieve his fixed penalty book, the suspect jumped on the scooter and sped off.
Smith once again pursued Butler, using foghorns and sirens, and beckoned him to stop over the intercom.
As he gave chase, the officer communicated with the police control room and requested backup.
Prosecutors said the suspect began traveling west on Independence Highway against the flow of traffic and then onto Tonique Williams Darling Highway.
The suspect only came to a stop after he tried to cross over a median, lost control of the scooter, and fell to the ground.
The prosecution claimed that when the officer attempted to dismount his motorcycle, the suspect “aggressively charged towards him in a violent manner” and then began punching him multiple times, “causing great pain”.
The officer reportedly attempted to subdue the man but soon felt a “sharp tug” on his service-issued 9mm pistol, leading him to believe the suspect was attempting to disarm him.
Smith said in his report that as the struggle continued, Sergeant Travis Strachan “came out of nowhere” to his assistance; held his service weapon in a low, ready position; and ordered the suspect to stop resisting arrest.
It was then that the suspect immediately stopped and was cautioned and arrested.
He was taken to the Grove Police Station, where he admitted to failing to stop at a red light and driving in the wrong direction.
Butler’s attorney, Glendon Rolle, pleaded with the court to show leniency given that Smith had no previous convictions and did not waste the court’s time.
Rolle requested that Smith be given a conditional discharge and offered anger management counseling.
He also submitted that the prosecution’s charge of “assaulting a peace officer” is not correct, given that “police are not considered peace officers”.
Ferguson-Pratt deferred her decision until Thursday but insisted that the incident in and of itself was “an affront to justice and law and order”.
“What happened that day is certainly an affront to any right-minded citizen in this country,” Ferguson-Pratt said.
“It should never be justified that someone can assault a citizen or a police officer.”
Several videos of the incident went viral on social media, showing a uniformed officer attempting to restrain the civilian, who then strikes the officer multiple times and attempts to fight back.
On Tuesday, Commissioner of Police Paul Rolle commended the two officers for their courage and “professional conduct” during the incident and awarded them a monetary gift of $1,000 each.
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