The police officer who was captured in a video recording, assaulting and threatening to “murder” Chris Creighton, 20, in Bartica three weeks ago during a traffic stop, yet to be held accountable. Creighton told our publication, soon after the incident, that officers were informed that he did not have the documents for the motorcycle on him but that he could get them from home immediately, since he was stopped one corner from where he lived.
The officers, however, proceeded to conduct two breathalyzer tests on Creighton which he passed. He told the officers that he was not drinking. Despite that the police started to put the “Ruckus” Bike into the back of the police pickup, forcing Chris Creighton to turn on his camera to video. Police officers had asked Creighton to go into the pickup vehicle which he started doing. Strangely, when he was attempting to enter the pickup as instructed, an officer identified as “Archer” began chocking him, shouting “I would kill this [ms, expletive]”, “I would murder this man”.
Creighton was then forcibly thrown into the vehicle and taken to the Bartica Police Station. His mother later took the documents for the motorcycle which were checked and verified. “An officer told me I would be charged for not cooperating with the police. I was asked to open my phone and hand it over to them, while the driver of the pickup instructed me to delete the video that I took,” he said. Chris Creighton was then given back the keys to his Ruckus Bike and told by an officer to “come out the Police Station”. The Guyana Police Force (GPF) in a statement following the incident had stated that the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) is investigating the incident.
The assault was condemned by Mayor of Bartica Gifford Marshall, who In a Facebook message said, “The video of the incident involving Chris Creighton is painful to watch. While negatively affecting our tourism agenda it also brings into question Bartica as a safe town.” Meanwhile, on her Facebook page, as well, Region 7, Cuyuni-Mazaruni, Vice Chairman, Kamal Persaud said she hopes that a “fair” investigation will be carried out and “justifiable” action/s will be taken. Additionally, Rickford Burke, President of the Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy (CGID) in a letter pledged that as a Bartician he will not sit in silence and allow corrupt, rogue officers in the force to abuse Barticians with impunity.