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Detainees moved after stand-off at Ocho Rios lock-up

Published:Thursday | January 26, 2023 | 1:23 AM
Cops, soldiers, and firefighters gather outside the Ocho Rios Police Station after prisoners became boisterous on Wednesday.
Cops, soldiers, and firefighters gather outside the Ocho Rios Police Station after prisoners became boisterous on Wednesday.

Several detainees were removed from the Ocho Rios police lock-up in St Ann and taken to Portland after a stand-off with cops at the facility on Wednesday evening.

Senior Superintendent Dwight Powell, commander of the St Ann Police Division, said the incident occurred after the police tried to search a cell in which the men were. They reportedly verbally and physically attacked the cops and had to be subdued.

One prisoner was taken to hospital for medical attention as a result of the clash.

The police got reinforcement from the Jamaica Defence Force to bring the situation under control as a fire unit remained on standby.

When The Gleaner arrived at the Ocho Rios Police Station, at least four prisoners were seen being taken from the building and being led to a truck under the watchful eyes of the security personnel.

As news of the disturbance spread, a crowd of curious onlookers gathered in the vicinity of the station.

While the police did not release details about the detainees involved in Wednesday’s stand-off, they pointed out that those implicated in the assault of another prisoner at the lock-up last week were not involved.

In the incident last week, part of which was captured in a video recording, a seemingly semi-conscious prisoner could be seen on the ground, struggling to rise, after apparently being attacked by fellow detainees.

Five prisoners have been charged in relation to the incident.

carl.gilchrist@gleanerjm.com