Man loses tooth in brawl with cops

A man who lost a tooth during a brawl with police is expected to return to court on June 17, to answer to various charges.

Shaquille Byfield appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court yesterday for charges of escaping custody, failure to wear mask, resisting arrest, malicious destruction of property, unlawful wounding and three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The court heard that police personnel were in Half-Way Tree when they held three persons, including Byfield, for not wearing masks. They were placed in the back of a police service vehicle and were told they were being arrested. It is alleged that Byfield's girlfriend told him to leave the vehicle, as she would give him a mask.

He attempted to get out but an inspector told him to remain. The court heard that Byfield told the inspector "Yuh know me? You know who me is? Me will buck you a road and f*** you up."

He was reportedly told by another cop to remain calm, when he hit a policewoman in her face, punched and kicked another cop, then bit another's finger. It was also reported that during the brawl, he destroyed a cop's cell phone.

When he appeared before Senior Parish Court Judge Lori-Ann Cole-Montague, Byfield pleaded guilty to resisting arrest, one count of assault and breaching the Disaster Risk Management Act. He pleaded not guilty to the charges of escaping custody, assault and malicious destruction of property. Byfield said he followed his girlfriend to Half-Way Tree as she conducted business.

"I came out of a taxi [and] I was wearing my 'kerchief around my face. I took it off with the intention to go across the road to purchase a mask," he said. Byfield said the policewoman stopped him after spotting that he didn't have a mask.

"I walk to her and I had the money in my hand and I tell her I want to purchase a mask behind her. She said she didn't want to hear that and I said 'okay then'. She then asked for a search," he said. Cole-Montague was shown a video of the confrontation and expressed concern that it did not capture the entire incident. She pointed out that there was some resistance from Byfield as the police tried to apprehend him. "You got all of these charges just because you not wearing a mask," she said.

He was fined $3,000 or 10 days imprisonment for resisting arrest and $10,000 or 30 days imprisonment for failure to wear a mask.