By NICO SCAVELLA
Tribune Staff Reporter
nscavella@tribunemedia.net
A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to ten months and seven days at the Bahamas Department of Correctional Services for causing harm to a police officer during a widely publicised scuffle near Christ Church Cathedral in which he sought to evade arrest.
Scott Major, of St Alban's Drive, was sentenced by Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans on August 16 after pleading guilty to one count each of damage, disorderly behaviour, resisting arrest, and causing harm in connection with his August 14 scuffle with Police Corporal 3928 Goddard on George Street.
Regarding the one count of damage, Major pleaded guilty to damaging Cpl Goddard's trousers valued at $70, one bush jacket valued at $95, and one Motorola radio set valued at $3,678, property of the Royal Bahamas Police Force.
Major was ultimately sentenced to six months for the count of damage, two months for causing harm, two months for resisting arrest and seven days for the count of disorder, set to run consecutively.
The incident in question was captured on cell phone video and was widely shared on social media.
The short clip showed the officer entangled in a tense struggle with another man in the middle of George Street.
During much of the incident, the man and the officer are seen on video rolling on the ground, with the latter fighting to maintain his grasp on the civilian.
At one point in the video the civilian had the officer pinned to the ground on his back.
The officer continued to maintain his grasp before a man nearby, who appeared to be a security guard, stepped in to assist. The security guard subsequently encouraged the officer to maintain his grasp on the man, while also ordering the civilian to "stay down." The civilian was ultimately subdued after the police officer managed to body slam him on the sidewalk, and the security officer pinned him to the ground so the officer could retrieve his misplaced handcuffs.
The male civilian, throughout the entire ordeal, loudly protested his circumstances, shouting: "I ain't do nothing boss."
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