Police, weightlifter in fistfight

The premises of the Center Street Police sub-station in central Monrovia over the weekend were scene of fighting between police officers and an unidentified civilian.

Eyewitnesses, who watched the show-down narrated that the free for all fight started when an unidentified weightlifter or bodyman visited the station after being called by a detained family member. The detainee was reportedly taken to the police following confusion that ensue between him and a woman.

The witnesses continued that upon arrival at the station, police briefed the unidentified man that his family member was detained for injuring a woman during a fight. At this point, the witnesses said the unidentified mea later requested the blood stain clothes of the victim as well as display of the wounds sustained by the victim, but the police refused, and in the process, one of the policemen allegedly began to rant insults on the mother of the unidentified man.

Moment later, the man in question craved the officer’s indulgent to stop insulting his mother, but the latter reportedly paid no heed, which prompted the unidentified man to retaliate by equally insulting the officer’s mother, while the station commander and other senior officers look on.

Witnesses revealed that it was then that the commander of the station ordered his men to arrest the weightlifter, but in the process, the man allegedly beat all of the police officers, including the commander and chief of criminal investigation department.

Thereafter, the witnesses noted, the weightlifter hurriedly rushed to his pathfinder jeep which was parked in the street and reportedly drove off the scene as the frustrated and humiliated police officers chased the vehicle, but did not arrest the escapee.

This writer visited the scene minutes later, but was prevented by some officers of the police station not to photograph the scene of the crime and onlookers, who jammed parked the corridor or main entrance to the station to watch the show-down.

Police Spokesperson Sam Collins when contacted on the matter on Saturday, 14 January told this paper that he could not speak on the issue except he contacted the relevant police authorities.

By Emmanuel Mondaye-Editing by Jonathan Browne