ST CATHERINE, Jamaica — The foreigner, who is accused of attacking a police officer over a queue at a gas station in Spanish Town, is claiming that he had been provoked by the officer.

Charles Warner in an interview with OBSERVER ONLINE admitted to pushing the policeman, who was dressed in plainclothes, but said it was in self-defence.

Warner — a Jamaican residing in Birmingham, England and who was vacationing here with his family at the time of the incident on October 27 — said that he was inside the store cashing several items when a man barged in front of him and started to cash. He said he told the man that he could have said he was in the line before.

Later in the parking lot, Warner said, the man came up in his face and began calling him names. He said he pushed the man out of his face and that the officer returned with a firearm.

“I held on to the hand that was holding the gun, he push me to the flowers and hit me in my head. I was there holding on to him about fifteen minutes with blood running down my face,” he said.

“It took the police about forty minutes to arrive. When the police came, one of the officers was telling me to try and work things out. I told him I am going to press charge,” said Warner.

Warner said he had already made a report to the Independent Commission of Investigation and that when he was arrested the police at the ‘Hundred Man’ station in Portmore failed to take a statement from him.

He said it took seven stitches to close his head wound.

Warner trial on a charge of assault started on Thursday and had been adjourned to November 27 for continuation.

Racquel Porter