Man claims police attack because he did not answer his good morning greeting
A Kingston higgler, accused of assaulting the police inside a police station, claimed the constable attacked him for not answering his “Good Morning” greeting.
Jason Barnes was arrested and charged with assault occasioning bodily harm, common assault, malicious destruction of property and threat, following allegations that he spat in the face of a policeman and threw a toilet bowl at the cop when he tried to calm him down at the police station.
The policeman in question told the court on Tuesday that he went inside the guardroom and saw Barnes behaving boisterously and introduced himself to him and told him to calm down, but he continued to behave in a rowdy fashion.
This, the policeman said, resulted in him pepper spraying Barnes, who retaliated by punching him in his face.
The policeman said he again used the pepper spray and Barnes ran inside the bathroom, took up the toilet bowl and flung it at him.
In addition, the prosecutor told the court that Barnes threatened to kill the policeman and his mother and that he attempted to run from the station, and it took six police personnel to restrain him.
The prosecutor also alleged that Barnes had spat in the face of one of the policemen and had used a bottle of water to splash them.
But the accused denied the allegations.
He told the court that he was in downtown Kingston, buying movies to sell when a policeman, who was also buying movies, saw him and took him to the station, after carrying him to two other police stations.
“I was sitting down and this officer walk in and say good morning and yuh know morning go fi everybody, not me alone, and me neva ansa and him say ‘A who da bwoy yah. How yuh nuh ansa’ and me say me nuh affi ansa and him say ‘How yuh suh bad?’ and pop off him pepper spray and spray me.”
Barnes said he then rushed into the bathroom and turned on the water to wash his eyes but the policeman was still coming at him, and he flung the bowl at him.
The judge, after listening said: “This will make for an interesting trial,” and set the matter for trial on June 9.
