By DENISE MAYCOCK
Tribune Freeport Reporter
dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
FREEPORT – A 23-year-old Grand Bahama man is claiming that he was attacked and beaten to near unconsciousness by police officers at the Lynden Pindling International Airport over the weekend.
Arsenio Delancy said he was returning to Freeport when the alleged incident occurred last Friday evening.
He claims that he was rushed from behind and slammed to the floor inside the airport terminal, where he hit his head and passed out. He claims that officers carried him to a bathroom, where he was further beaten and punched in the face.
He further alleges that officers damaged his cellular phone and took $400 cash from him.
Delancy and his father, George Delancy, came to The Tribune office in Freeport on Wednesday. They were accompanied by community activists Troy Garvey and Etienne Farquharson.
The father and son became very emotional as they told what allegedly transpired that day.
According to Delancy, he was travelling to Freeport when he saw a friend at the airport. As they were leaving to board their flight, he said a plain-clothed officer stopped and handcuffed his friend.
He said that the friend gave him a phone number and asked him to call someone.
“I made the call for him – I think it was his mother,” he recalled.
Delancy said when he was boarding the aircraft a flight attendant informed him that he could not get on the flight.
“I came off the plane and went back to the terminal,” he said.
“As I walked inside, I felt someone grab me from the back and pull me to the ground. I could not remember what happened after that because I was unconscious and I could not physically move, but I could hear and feel someone lifting me up, and I felt when I fell back on the ground again.”
When he gained consciousness, Delancy said he was in a bathroom at the airport.
“They had me handcuffed to the suspect who I made the call for. They searched his bag and they found suspected drugs,” he claimed.
Although the suspect told the officers that they were not travelling together, Delancy said the officers would not let him go.
“The officer asked me some questions, and the next thing I know I was getting beaten in the bathroom while being handcuffed,” he said.
Delancy claimed an Officer Rolle had hit him.
“I dropped on the ground and lost consciousness… they throw water on my face, but I could not move.”
Delancy claimed that the officers lifted him up and carried him to the airport police station.
“They said they could not accept me in the condition I was in so the officers took me to the DEU station,” he said.
George Delancy claims that he heard the blows being administered to his son.
“It so happens that I had called my son and I could hear him saying, ‘daddy the police them beating me.’
“I could hear the blows in the background and I was in no position to help my son,” said the father.
Arsenio claimed that officers took him out the back door when his brother came to the station to see him.
He said he was taken to the hospital. “They did not want my brother to see me in the condition I was in,” he said.
Arsenio said he had suffered injuries to his head, face, and side. The hospital took a scan and X-ray of his head. He also received several stitches just above the right eye.
“I feel I was violated,” he said.
Arsenio wants the officers arrested and brought to justice. “I don’t think they should be on the force,” he said.
Mr Delancy said he tried contacting Commissioner Ellison Greenslade, but was told that he was out of office.
He claims that attempts were also made to speak with Quinn McCartney.
“I was told that Mr McCartney was on a call, and after explaining the magnitude of the situation he still did not return my call. I think it was slap in the face,” Mr Delancy said.
Troy Garvey said police officers are to protect citizens.
“Some officers believe that having a badge and gun gives them license to do whatever they want to people – that they are above the law.”
Mr Farquharson said the police force has deteriorated and they are not recruiting quality officers.
The Tribune tried to contact Commissioner Greenslade, but was told that he was out of office until Monday. ACP Quinn McCartney could not be reached up to press time for comment.
Comments
SP 10 years, 11 months ago
These officers actions are nothing new. Police officers function with the full blessings of Commissioner Greenslade.
He turns a blind eye but knows that police brutality is an everyday occurance in the Bahamas.
I hope this man sue the Police force and government to fullest extent possible.
John 10 years, 11 months ago
I always maintain that the police force is the biggest gang in the Bahamas. Their uniform makes their gang style activities legal, specially when they have to answer to no one. Everyone understands that there is a problem with drug trafficking through the LPI Airport just like it is common around the Bahamas in general. But if policemen are stationed there to do survaillence work and to apprehend drug suspects, how long can they remain in that post and be undercover when they get into scuffles and create rukus such as this? Our law says everyone is innocent until proven guilty, and even when a police apprehends a suspect, they have no right to beat them to a pulp. And to continue to beat a person after he was knocked unconscious, and then attempt to lock him in a cell and hide his injuries. These are not policemen. With the recent deaths of 3 persons while in police custody, you would think that police would tune down this type of behaviour, especially in a public place like the airport.
larry 10 years, 11 months ago
its amazing how people can judge an incident without evidence this means i can go to the tribune with a bruise on my eye too and say i was assaulted by the prime minister an d the story would run front page what happen to investigative reporting
John 10 years, 11 months ago
the fact that the police at the airport police station refused to take the man into their custody, 'becuse oif the condition he was in' is reason enough to conclude that he was beaten (into a pulp). there is no eveidence to show that the victim was disorderly or resisted arrest or assulted any police officers because, apparently, none of these charges were pressed against the young man. And why did they slip him through the back door and remove him from the station when his family came to enquire about him. Also didn't his father say he heard part of the exchange( AKA beating) between the piloce and his son via cell phone So if you want to claim that you were assulted by the prime minster then you should have evidence to support your claim.
abaco_beauty123 10 years, 11 months ago
I was at the airport boarding a flight and yes he was. The officers came to him respectfully but he refuse to get arrested. He started to fight the officers. He was drunk from he got there
Deepdrop2 10 years, 11 months ago
Well Larry, I suppose that as the incident happen in an extremely public place there must be many who witnessed what happened!!!?
lazybor 10 years, 11 months ago
this seems a strange story
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SP 10 years, 11 months ago
Immigration picks up an illegal worker from Atlantis......And "business" goes ballistic because a "white person" wasn't smiled and grinned with..........And tourists were watching.
The police beat an innocent black Bahamian citizen to unconsciousness and beyond...and "business" is quite happy with that!....And tourist are watching as well!
larry 10 years, 11 months ago
in this day and age where every one with a smart phone can record and instantly upload recordings on the internet no one recorded this action in the Bahamas impossible.
concernedcitizen 10 years, 11 months ago
THANK YOU
proudloudandfnm 10 years, 11 months ago
Well one thing is absolutely certain. Our police have been beating suspects for decades. I agree this story sounds suspect but exposing the issue of police brutality is a good thing. Now maybe we can see and end to that incredibly ignorant practice....
dimdendim 10 years, 11 months ago
I have a friend in Freeport who use to be a reserve police, she quite said she couldn`t handle going out at night with the other policemen and picking up people to beat just for the fun of it .
mallyb 10 years, 11 months ago
either your a fat lier or your friend is stop spreading SHIT its people like you what is causing the situation we are faceing in this contury today
concernedcitizen 10 years, 11 months ago
the police are us!! and that is what has been taught as conflict resolution since they were babies ,,do you see the way we discipline ,we shout at and threaten our children w/ violence and then when they don,t behave we beat the crap out of them in anger ,,then wash it all down with a plaititude ," spare the rod spoil the child " the undereducated discipline w/ violence and anger ,,do you expect our police to be different than us ...plus how do you expect the police to deal w/ violent people ,,with a sing along ..accept it, we are a violent people and thats how a good majority of us deal w/ conflict ,,geez the police are in the schools to keep our little darlins from killing one another ,,
John 10 years, 11 months ago
is that what white people do to their kids? geeze!
concernedcitizen 10 years, 11 months ago
i was talking about our discipline habits as Bahamians ,i did not inject any reference to colour or race Once again you seem to always turn things to white people or foriegners ,is your identity as a person soley dependent on racial issues , is the very core of you a ball of inferiority based on what another race does or doesn,t do ??
John 10 years, 11 months ago
so that IS how white folks treat their kids..geeze!
concernedcitizen 10 years, 11 months ago
please don,t interact w/ our guest that are 90% white ,,i have a feeling you would have problems being civil and would lasp into snide little comments just w/ in earshot about the wickedness of another race ,,dude your a xenophopic ,racist ,histronic cornacopia of infereority issues ,,,actually your so predictably its all most boring ,,,
John 10 years, 11 months ago
In my own experience when officers had me pinned up against a wall near PMH, claiming that someone in my vehicle had fired off shots in The Cable Beach area. The officer who was 'in charge' had a machine gun as did two or three other officers and the guns were pointed at us during the entire ordeal. The officer in charge seem to grow angrier by the minute and because the ground where we were detained was an uneven surface, he stumbled and almost fell a few times (i think he may have been drinking but I have no evidence. My greatest fear was that the machine gun he had would go off accidentally and kill one or two of us or even some of his fellow policemen.
abaco_beauty123 10 years, 11 months ago
I was an eye witness at the airport when this happen. And it did not go the way the gentlemen is saying it did. From he came through the back he was been loud, seems to be drunk. I was at the gate boarding my flight when the person from teh airline was telling him to ease up. Yes they did wrestle him to ground because he refuse to get arrested. I was actullay fighting the police. They had no choose to protect thmesleves. IT took 5 officers to pin him down to put hand cuffs on him and still he was fighing. He did not pass out because he was still trying to fight them off before they took him in the bathroom. His friend who they already had arrested was telling him to just lets go but he refuse to go in peace. He wanted to pull a scene.
mallyb 10 years, 11 months ago
lol lol lmao its a good thing you were there to see the truth for your self ya know some officers do get out a hand but there are still the majority who still up hold the law we bahamian feed on gossep even more so if it false just read some a the comments
steplight 10 years, 11 months ago
I was actullay fighting the police.[I was an eye witness at the airport when this happen. And it did not go the way the gentlemen is saying it did.]. false witness in your own words.
abaco_beauty123 10 years, 11 months ago
THe officers had every reason to arrest him.
terry 10 years, 11 months ago
our son is not complaining about the officers arresting him the problem we have is that if you want to arrest me why take me in the bathroom to beat me half to death take my funds, damage my phone after realizing that his father (the caller) heard what was going on if i am to be arrested take me to the station then put me behind bars. If you attempted to murder me steal my money and damage my property tell me which one of us truly can be called a criminal. thanks for letting me know that being loud and boisterous is now a crime in the Bahamas and it is okay to do what i want to a person because i have rank and position in my Country. and for your info some officers still even today continue to abuse others as soon as the same happens to one of your own let us know how it feels the rate they are on right now it wont be long before you understand what our complaint is about
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