Cutlass-wielding attack inside Parika Police Station under investigation

A confrontation inside the Parika Police Station, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) compound, is under investigation following an early morning incident on Sunday, which resulted in one man being taken into custody. According to police, the incident occurred at about 03:00h. Enquiries revealed that a man had gone to the station to make a report of an alleged assault when another man entered the compound, forcibly confronted him and began assaulting him. Police said ranks who were present at the time immediately intervened, restrained the aggressor and brought the situation under control. The suspect, a 33-year-old vendor from Farm, EBE was escorted to the De Kinderen Regional Hospital, where he was examined by a doctor and subsequently returned to the Parika Police Station and placed into custody pending investigations.

Police further stated that the other individual, who had gone to the station to make the report and was assaulted, left the scene before investigators could obtain a statement. Efforts are ongoing to locate him, Police said. However, video footage seen by this publication circulating on social media was recorded by a civilian and shows a chaotic sequence of events. The footage shows a man dressed in a black T-shirt and a cap running into the police station and grabbing another man who was inside the building. The man is then seen pulling the individual outside into the compound, where he appeared to be armed with a cutlass and began swinging it at the victim. The video further captures two other men running into the station compound shortly after. One of the men was dressed in a yellow T-shirt and black pants and appeared to be armed with a cutlass, while the other was dressed in an orange T-shirt and blue three-quarter pants, also armed with what appeared to be a cutlass. Both men were seen storming into the compound as the confrontation escalated. During the altercation, a police officer is seen intervening and separating the men in an effort to bring the situation under control. Police have since confirmed that the entire incident was captured on closed-circuit television cameras attached to the Parika Police Station and that the footage, along with the civilian-recorded video, is being reviewed as part of the ongoing investigation.