The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

A HAITIAN man whose rough arrest was captured in a viral video has alleged that an immigration officer told him he was beaten because he has a job at BTC when many Bahamians can’t find employment.

Evince Gaston, 31, travelled in a BTC van to a Haitian village on Joe Farrington Road where he encountered immigration officers on Friday. An altercation followed between himself and three immigration officers, which was captured on cell phone video. The altercation, he alleged yesterday, left him with bloodshot eyes, a scrape on his face and minor bruises to his back and neck.

In the video, an officer hits him in the back of his head, shouting “don’t play with me” and “boy catch yourself, boy catch yourself!” In a second video, Mr Gaston is presumed to be on the ground being restrained by several officers crowded around him.

The videos don’t capture what initially happened, Mr Gaston said yesterday.

“I was on my BTC job,” he said. “Immigration meet me there doing my job. One of them come to me and ask me for my paper and my wallet was in the van. They don’t give me chance to go get it, they just slap me, they punch me on my face couple times.”

He claimed the videos don’t show when an officer “put me on the ground and beat me again,” he said.

He also alleged: “They put me on the bus and slap me again on the bus. When I reach, they left the handcuff on me for two hours, then took me to the police station and then to the hospital.”

Mr Gaston, who is no longer in custody, said he has worked as a BTC sales agent for almost two years. He said he has legal status to be in the country. He also said he is in the process of taking legal action because of what happened.

“I was terrified because he came to me in an aggressive way,” he claimed.

He said BTC has been supportive of him throughout the ordeal.

On Sunday, Immigration Director Clarence Russell said his department’s internal investigation team is probing the matter. However, he urged people not to jump to conclusions based on a few seconds of video. 

“All citizens of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas and visitors alike are presumed innocent until proven guilty or until such time as said suspect enters a plea of guilt,” he said. “That constitutional right extends to all and sundry, sworn officers included.

“In the absence of all of the facts of evidence, one should refrain from presuming innocence or guilt, given any circumstance. Especially those social media based. The matter to which you make reference is now the subject of a thorough police investigation and that of my Immigration Department’s internal investigation teams.”

Mr Russell continued: “I remind members of the public that in all circumstances, the statute laws of this nation shall be carried out, without malice, favour, prejudice, ill-will or fear. Uniformed on-duty officers have a lawful duty to perform, in protecting the sovereignty of this nation. We will not be deterred.”