Constable pepper-sprays senior ex-cop for disobeying order
Published:Thursday | June 6, 2019 | 12:00 AM
Retired senior police officer Altemorth ‘Parro’ Campbell recently had a painful encounter with a traffic cop after he was pepper-sprayed for disobeying the constable’s order to get out of the SUV to be arrested.
In a six-minute long video being circulated on social media, Campbell was stopped on Molynes Road, St Andrew in the vicinity of the Waltham Park Road intersection.
The video starts with the constable breaking from a cellphone call to order that Campbell “step from the vehicle”.
WATCH: Retired senior police officer Altemorth ‘Parro’ Campbell had a painful encounter with a traffic cop after he was pepper-sprayed for disobeying the constable’s order to get out of his vehicle to be arrested. The incident happened on Molynes Road, St Andrew - Amateur video pic.twitter.com/GqhZAvxNwB
— Jamaica Gleaner (@JamaicaGleaner) June 7, 2019
He wanted to arrest the former crime-fighter because the ex-cop did not have his driver’s licence.
But Campbell, a former deputy Superintendent of police scoffed at the constable telling him that he could not be giving him a lawful directive to step from the vehicle.
However, the constable insisted, issuing what he said would be the “final warning”.
He then pulled a pepper-spray canister.
At that point, Campbell made an attempt to get out of the vehicle but soon aborted the move.
That was when the cop pointed the canister at Campbell and pepper-sprayed him.
Campbell’s son, who was in the car, captured the incident on video.
"After 40 years of service this is how they treat you," the son said.
He and his father remained in their vehicle while the ex-cop tried to wash the substance from his eyes.
A police constable also handed him a bottle of water to assist.
The retired police officer eventually got out of the vehicle when a senior cop Campbell identified as Watson arrived on the scene.
Neither the head of the police inspectorate DCP Selvin Haye nor the head of the communications unit DSP Dahlia Garrick could be reached for a comment Thursday evening.
WHAT THE ROAD TRAFFIC ACT SAYS
PART IV—Licensing of Drivers Restriction
Driving Without Permit or Driver’s Licence
3. Every holder of a permit or driver's licence who is —
(a) driving a motor vehicle on a road;
(b) accompanying another person who is learning to drive a motor vehicle on a road; or
(c) learning to drive a motor vehicle on a road
shall have the permit or licence in the motor vehicle and on being so required by a constable in uniform or who shows his identifying documents as a constable, produce his permit or driver’s licence, or such other document constituting evidence thereof for examination by the constable.
(4) A person who contravenes this subsection commits an offence.
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