Feroze Khan, a 29-year-old ambulance driver, claims he was a victim of police brutality during his arrest. However, the police maintain that he caused his own injuries and was also responsible for a sergeant losing a tooth while resisting arrest.
On September 29, Khan was hired to transport individuals to the Amerindian Heritage Celebrations at White Water in Region One (Barima-Waini).
Khan’s brother, Gilbert Hernandez, told the News Room that Khan had to make numerous trips that day. After completing his last trip at around 21:00 hrs, he returned home but was called out again to pick up some cousins in White Water.
On his way back to his home in Hosororo Hill, he encountered a team of police officers in a pickup truck.
“The police vehicle was parked in front of a place called Roseann. From there, the police vehicle continued the journey ahead of them. He attempted to overtake them, but they had their red and blue lights on. He beeped his horn, and a traffic officer came out and asked what the problem was, if he had an emergency. He replied, ‘Sir, no’. The officer then asked him if he was under the influence of alcohol, to which he said, ‘Sir, no’,” Hernandez explained.
He claimed that Khan informed the officers that the lights were hurting his eyes and he couldn’t see properly on the road. Instead of switching off the lights, Hernandez alleged that the officers continued to drive ahead of his brother with the lights on.
“When he attempted to overtake them, they kept blocking him from right to left,” Hernandez said.
After finally managing to pass the police vehicle, Khan drove straight home, but Hernandez stated that the officers followed him.
“They started to chase him and recorded a video while doing so. He got home and parked, but before he could get out of the bus, a sergeant grabbed him by his jersey and began choking him. Right there, they started assaulting him, and the video continued,” Hernandez, who claimed to have witnessed the entire incident, explained.
Hernandez admitted that his brother “started to behave badly” but claimed this was because the police had reportedly beaten him in a similar incident previously.
In the video seen by the News Room, Khan was told he was being arrested for driving in a dangerous manner. Several officers attempted to arrest Khan with assistance from family members, but he hurled abusive language at the officers and, as shown in the video, assaulted one of them.
“The video is disturbing because my brother behaved a little badly. My stepfather is also in the video trying to control my brother,” Hernandez admitted.
The officers eventually managed to get Khan into the vehicle, and Hernandez stated he followed behind, witnessing the ranks assaulting him.
“I got a motorcycle, rode behind them, and saw them beating my brother. I went home and told my mother to get ready so we could go to the station,” Hernandez told the News Room.
Upon arriving at the station, Hernandez found his brother beaten, with blood on his clothes. However, Regional Commander Superintendent Krishnadat Ramana told the News Room that the blood belonged to a sergeant who also lost a tooth during Khan’s arrest.
“I am aware of the post, but nothing like that occurred. We have a video of the commencement of this incident. They have their opinion, but there is no evidence to support that [Khan was assaulted by officers]. When you see the video, you will see his behaviour. He inflicted those injuries on himself; no officers assaulted him. The sergeant’s blood was on his trousers from an injury to his finger, and the sergeant had to extract a tooth due to his behaviour,” Commander Ramana clarified.
Meanwhile, Hernandez further alleged that Khan was denied medical attention for hours. However, Commander Ramana disputed this claim, stating that Khan was taken to the Mabaruma District Hospital as soon as his relatives requested medical assistance.
“I went to the officer in charge, and he said we couldn’t go into the station. I started to wonder if my brother was going to die and then went back to the officer in charge and asked for bail and medical attention for my brother, but everything was denied,” Hernandez claimed.
According to him, Khan left the station at around midday on Monday, hours after his arrest.
“They said he verbally abused them, resisted arrest, damaged police property, damaged station property, and refused to take a breathalyser test. Those are the charges he is facing right now,” Hernandez said.
He is calling for a full investigation into his brother’s arrest and also claimed that this is not the first time the police have assaulted him during an arrest.
At around 14:00 on Monday, Khan was released on $200,000 bail.
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