Police have refuted claims that the rank involved in the Independence Day accident at Canal Number One Polder, West Bank Demerara was under the influence of alcohol.
This starkly contrasts the accounts of eyewitnesses, whose video recordings strongly expressed that the rank appeared to be heavily intoxicated at the accident scene.
These eyewitnesses also claimed they had seen beer bottles being removed from the police rank’s vehicle moments before police investigators arrived on the scene.
A senior official in ‘D’ Division disclosed to Guyana Times on Monday that the rank, identified as Jamal Archibald, was driving a Route 31 minibus which overtook another vehicle and came into the path of another Route 31 bus. The oncoming vehicle, driven by Ryan McIntyre, was hit by the vehicle Archibald was driving and ended up in the trench.
Ryan McIntyre’s vehicle ended up in the trench after colliding with a vehicle driven by a policeman on Independence Day
This police source was, however, adamant that Archibald was not drunk, notwithstanding the fact that ranks of the La Grange Police Station arriving at the scene shortly after the accident did not conduct a breathalyzer test. Guyana Times was also told that demarcations at the point of impact of the accident were not marked by the police ranks.
Constable Archibald’s minibus was said to have had several occupants at the time of the accident while the minibus driven by McIntyre had one. No serious injuries were recorded in this accident, but McIntyre has complained of experiencing several pains about the body.
In footage obtained by this publication, owner of the bus, Kelvin Simon, had confronted the policeman involved in the accident. Eyewitnesses recalled that the policeman was speeding. Both drivers had been taken to the La Grange Police Station, where policeman Archibald was released on $20,000 bail and McIntyre $5000. Investigations into the matter are continuing.
