The woman who was at the center of the alleged police brutality incident of Saturday, April 1st, at San Pedro’s Central Park, has come forward with her version of the events. Following the incident in which four persons were injured after police discharged their firearms to disperse a crowd, two officers attached to the San Pedro Police Department, PC Norman Coye and PC Darnell Madrill were formally charged for wounding on Tuesday, April 4th. However, according to the woman, who wishes to stay anonymous, it is not enough, as she claims that more than two officers were involved in the incident. She also believes they need to be further charged for the beating she received.
The female victim visited the Raccoon Street Police Station in Belize City on Tuesday evening, April 4th where she explained that everything started inside Daddy Rock night club where an argument ensued between her female friend and others in the bathroom. “Something happened in the bathroom between my friend and another girl,” she says. “This girl went and told the police that my friend knocked her. That’s when the police came and slammed by friend’s head on the wall.”
She stated that during the commotion inside the club, some of her friends took her friend outside, but by the time she made it into the Central Park she observed Coye manhandling her friend. “He had his foot on my friend’s stomach and so I approached him to try to make him stop. He tried to push me away and then two other police tackled me. I got handcuffed and one of the police hit me. When I tried to get up, I got hit several times again.” She also claims that while this was taking place a police officer stamped her down. “They beat me up like if I was a man.”
She indicated that not all the police involved are being held liable. She plans to take court action and criticized the way PC Coye and Madrill are currently being reprimanded. She maintains that she is not a troublesome person, and that the incident has somehow traumatized her. “I watch the video every day, and to see one of the officers that beat me up did not get charged hurts me.”
Reports of the incident indicate that Coye and Madrill, who are also part of the Quick Response Team of the San Pedro Police Department, were off duty and just tried to assist the other police officers when they responded to a fight between the two women. That escalated to Coye pulling out his service weapon and firing shots to the concrete pavement, dangerously close to people’s feet. As a result, three persons were injured with bullet fragments to their foot, while one person was hit in the eye. All injured persons were treated in Belize City and later released. According to the latest update on the case, the incident is still under investigation.
In the meantime, Coye and Madrill are out on bail and have been placed on interdiction with half of their pay. They are to returned to court on May 31st.
