Thu | Mar 28, 2024

Constable in hit-and-run recovering; cabbie sought

Published:Saturday | January 25, 2020 | 12:15 AM

The constable who was mowed down Thursday in New Kingston by a taxi operator is recovering after a successful surgery yesterday.

The police, however, are optimistic that the driver, 43-year-old Edward Rochester, who has since been listed as a person of interest, will be located soon.

Rochester is being asked to turn himself in to the Half-Way Tree police immediately.

“We still expect him to turn in himself early or for someone to take him in. The investigations are ongoing,” Senior Superintendent of Police Stephanie Lindsay, head of the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s communication arm, told The Gleaner.

The police also confirmed that they have made contact with the owner of the motor vehicle, a Black Toyota Wish.

“He (the owner) is cooperating with the police,” Lindsay said.

The taxi was found abandoned in the Mountain View area late Thursday.

The police said that the car remains in their custody and crime-scene investigators are processing it for evidence.

Reports are that the police constable, who was conducting traffic-management duties at the intersection of Trafalgar Road and Worthington Avenue, reportedly signalled the driver to stop because of a traffic violation.

The driver reportedly slowed down the cab before accelerating into the path of the constable, running him over and crushing one of his legs.

Shortly after the incident, the police released a photo of the taxi captured on closed-circuit television via Jamaica Eye network.

andre.williams@gleanerjm.com