Rogue driver runs down cop at road block
(CNS): Police are looking for witnesses after a Royal Cayman Islands Police Service officer was struck by a car Saturday night in the vicinity of Yacht Drive on the Esterley Tibbets Highway. At around 11:30pm, when a dark-coloured sedan appeared to slow down as it approached the check-point, an officer drove towards it in a marked police car with blue lights on. He got out of the police car and walked up to the driver’s side of the sedan, where he attempted to speak with the driver and the passenger of the vehicle, but did not get a response.
He then walked in front of the sedan, which was stationary, to try to get the licence plate number of the vehicle. But as he was doing so, the driver of the sedan drove off, striking the officer, as the car sped off and broke through the roadblock, entering into West Bay.
The injured officer was given first aid assistance by the other officers on scene and was then transported by ambulance to the hospital, where he was treated and then released.
A spokesperson for the RCIPS said the action of the driver was a “reckless and unwarranted attack on a police officer carrying out his lawful duty, which could have resulted in serious injury, and even the loss of life”.
Anyone with information about the car and the two occupants is urged to contact the George Town Police Station at 949-4222. Tips can also be passed to the police via the RCIPS website or the confidential tip line at 949-7777.
Those who want to remain anonymous can do so through Crime Stoppers at 800-8477 or online here. Information sent through Crime Stoppers that results in an arrest or conviction can also qualify for a reward.
So he walked up to the side of the car and they wouldn’t speak to him, and it seemed like a good idea to stroll around to the front of the car? I am 100% for the police but when a car at a roadblock won’t respond to you the first thing to do is call for backup, preferably armed. It does seem that there needs to be some roadblock retraining and the deployment of sufficient force to get the job done properly.
These officers really think they be on COPS TV show na tru to be doing such stupid things?
I see dark cars.
Fitting dash cams to the police cars would be a quite affordable solution to this “information” problem, AND, will likely provide some very valuable evidence. They are cheap and easily installed, and recordings can readily be uploaded to a PC. Also, position these so equipped cars strategically to cover specific operations. Not every solution has to result in certain folks getting lucrative contracts for poorly performing equipment. These dash cams cost just over $100.00 each on the internet, and are commonly used by motorists for insurance purposes, why not our police service?
Did he have his back to the car? Pretty sure if I was run over I would know what make and model the car was. Please provide more info if you want the public’s help.
Once again the CCTV that were installed and supposed to have costs millions of tax payers monies are useless and junk! It’s time the Governor demands an investigation into the deal and ensure the people get either their monies worth or arrests are made. Clearly an Officer of the law was nearly killed yet all you have is a “dark sadan”.
Yes dark colored sedan is not much of a clue. Colour? Age roughly? Make? Two, three or four doors? Condition?
The auditor general can look into it. Write her a letter and ask.
Why the other officers didn’t get the license plate number and the make of the car? He shouldn’t have to walk in front of a vehicle with its engine running. Incapable officers, who lacks good common sense.
Sadly it was only a matter of time before this happened. The solution is simple – you backstop the road block with armed officers and anyone making a run for it gets wasted. Used to do that with .50BMG in my service days and it works!
That’s a stupid idea
Whatever you say G.I. Joe. This isn’t Iraq or Brooklyn so you can get back to watching your action flic movies.
Thank God Eric Bush has covered the island in CCTV cameras!! Oh wait…
12:54pm and got a promotion to the UK at our expense. Hello, it must be CHRISTMAS.
This person needs a lengthy jail term and a lifetime ban on driving. There is absolutely no excuse for this. This person doesn’t deserve their freedom in a civil community.
I am still pondering whether to file a police report on the person who took exception for me honking my horn at them this morning after they ran a stop sign and nearly caused me to run into them. After I honked the horn they stopped their vehicle and confronted me and after a heated discussion threatened to slit my throat if I blew the horn at them again. This is not the first time I have been confronted by someone clearly in the wrong who has made threats toward me. I’ll be sure to save the dash cam video from today in case I ever need it as evidence. It’s a pity I turned off the mics on the camera to capture the discussion and the threat.
Jamaican or caymanian ?
Hard to tell nowadays!
Caymanian I believe
Do file. This lawlessness is growing in all directions. Good for you in being so well equipped with dash cam, etc. – very helpful and proactive.
You 100% should have reported this incident. Threats to kill is a serious thing.
So why didn’t the officer go to the back of the car to get the license plate number? The driver of the vehicle did not respond to him on his first attempt to speak to them so why would you then walk in front of their car? Putting yourself in harm!
Cause they see car in hospital.
Quite unnecesary. Whatever his crimes were – probably DUI – it was not worth the aggrevated assault to attempted manslaughter that would be preferred if caught
Agree with you about it being unnecessary, but I am sure he was running for more than a DUI. If you look back at all the cases where persons tried to elude police no matter what or who they damage along the way, a gun is usually recovered if they’re caught. Seems to me like this one got away.
Thankfully the officer was not killed.
So much for “Caymankind”.
Be quiet with that silly chatter.
There are more expats on this islands than caymanians so its probably someone from a nearby island. Caymankind is still much alive. If you don’t like it here leave.
May want to recheck those stats
Caymankinda crazy
All of our RCIPS units should be equipped with activated cameras and RFID scanners for any and all arrests and stop operations – to corroborate police reports, and bolster what are chronically weak evidence submissions by DPP. There is just no excuse not to have a plate number, or video, with all those cops standing around, and one injured. In the real world, you would have another cruiser up the road to give pursuit when someone runs the checkpoint, or does a U-turn before the checkpoint and runs away. RCIPS keeps conducting their field operations like tactical amateurs, now with unfortunate costs. It seems almost deliberately sieve-like.
I totally 100% agree on stopping and questioning those doing u-turns when they see a police road block. I see it all the time, there’s no police officers stationed at rear positions.
RFID scanner dat nah working
Thankfully, the officer appears to have not been seriously injured.
However, I hope he RCIPS is being strategically conservative with the facts of this crime, because the description “a dark-coloured sedan” from the injured police officer and the rest of his colleagues in and around an RCIPS is very, very concerning.
– Who
*an RCIPS roadblock…
– Who
Why no pursuit by other officers and an apprehension?
did the cops get the plate number?
CCTV on the Yacht Drive roundabout? RFID reader in police car that picked up the licence plate? Dash Cam? Officer Cam? There are may ways to protect officers and maximize the odds that the suspects will be caught, not sure how may are in use by the RCIP. If there is no CCTV on this roundabout it should be a priority. The racing and dangerous driving on this stretch of the ETH is astounding.
Time to equip arresting officers with Axon body cameras.
can we equip them with common sense too?
Why not? Someone has to flip the mental switch “ON”.
5:02pm. Common sense is not common any longer.
It must be more expensive than doing the correct procedure and saving your own life, too….thank God for His saving Grace on this poor fool…they all want to jump into the Police Service up here like its still Paradise, not realizing that there’s so much of their own country man here with the same mentality they had over there, cus when they boarded that plane it was packed in that suitcase upstairs between those two ill-used antennas on either sides of their head…and they all love to show it off on the road with their badass stupid misuse of vehicles of transport and the way they traverse the streets, roads and narrow lanes in Cayman I declare they came here and seen car lay down in hospital and lives for sale in Foster’s!!!