Veteran freelance reporter and photographer Roy Davis was robbed and assaulted on Saturday morning. The 56 year old Davis says he was riding home on his beach cruiser bicycle on Cemetery Road at around 3:30 am on Saturday when he was attacked by three men – one of whom was armed with a gun near the First Choice Pharmacy. Davis told us how it unfolded.
Roy Davis, Robbery Victim
“The person on the left side who I identified as Lawrence Dawson said you and when I turned my head and looked so, he punched me and I fell from the bicycle. I didn’t know that two of my teeth had been knocked out. I felt the pain but I didn’t know. When I got up back I was looking to retaliate but then a next person put a gun on me and that made me back and I started to
run.
I reached by the Lumber Yard because I was running back in the direction I was coming, I started to run back because the gunman was in front of me. So when I ran and I reached by Lumber Yard the same Dawson knocked me down and I dropped and when I got up back a taxi car was coming. The taxi man saw what was going on and he stopped as if to render aid but he drove off when the gunman put the gun on him.
After the taxi driver drove off, the same guy Dawson, because I will never forget his face, he said to give him my wallet. I started to cooperate because the man with the gun, he was a little distance from me as if he didn’t want me to see his face good. He pointed the gun at me and Dawson said give me your wallet, give me your wrist watch, and I took out my wallet and gave him my wrist watch and at the same time a ring, because I had a ring on this finger, this middle finger, and the ring was giving trouble to come off and they said hurry up and I was just trying to stay alive. So I hauled off the ring and I handed him and after I handed him, I run, I continued run.”
Keith Swift,
“You believe the motive was robbery?”
Roy Davis,
“Definitely the motive was robbery and I believe this same person Dawson, I was at the Lodge Hall dancing on Regent Street West and I usually go there. I see him in there more than once and probably he was monitoring me and all kind of thing.”
Keith Swift,
“So you don’t think they were targeted because you are a freelance journalist and you are always taking pictures of these accused persons?”
Roy Davis,
“Well to be honest I am not sure; it could be and could be they just wanted to rob me. I don’t want to say they targeted me because I am a reporter and a journalist who always deal with crime stories and court news and stuff like that. I feel those guys just wanted to rob.”
Davis says they stole his wallet and $50 in addition to a ring and his bicycle. A quick response by police led to the recovery of Davis’ watch and the arrest of 22 year old Lawrence Dawson and 27 year old Michael Foreman aka Popeye. They were both charged for robbery and Foreman was charged additionally for wounding. Bail wasn’t offered because a firearm was involved and they were both remanded to prison until May 27th.
