On Monday night when we showed the story of Clive Lino and Patrick Menzies - we'll bet most of you just shook your heads. And right that you should have, the two were the victims of a hideous beat down and vigilante justice at the hands of the Gang Suppression Unit.
IT all started earlier in the night when the pair were involved in a misunderstanding with two plain-clothed, off duty police officers. Lino and Menzies say they did not know the men were cops - and they went on to knock down one of them - allegedly when he stood in front of their car.
They said that the same two cops - went to Lino's house to beat them down a few hours later - but today police put on a full court media press disputing many elements of their accounts and providing what they say is proof and witnesses that Lino and Menzies misrepresented the situation. Here's what we learned:
Jules Vasquez reporting:
This is PC Delwyn Casimiro - with bruises and abrasions to his face, head, legs and back. He was knocked down by this car and the impression of the impact is here on this windshield.
Althea Castillo - Mother
"I can't stand to see his face like that. He face badly swollen. It was like he was as if he was aiming to knock him down. He can't talk, and I feel the pain that he is going through. To me, it's like it's me going through the same thing. I already lost two kids; I don't want to lose another one."
Due to the facial injuries, he can't talk but his mother gave his side of the story today:
Althea Castillo - Mother
"The way how I heard the news, to me it's far different, they talked about the boy that police beat up, to me it's like they did nothing, and they are framing the police bad. But I don't think so, because the way how they spoke, it's a whole pile of things they are saying. Even if he tried to apologized, I wouldn't take it, because from the time you "edged" somebody with vehicle, I think that you wanted to knock down that person. I don't take that; I don't play so."
And according to this version of events - they did plenty; in fact the pair allegedly started out a drunken brawl.
This is the young woman at the center of the dispute who asked to appear off camera - but says that Lino aggressed her and her friends and incited a fight:
Voice of: Woman at the Center of Misunderstanding
"The young man walked up to me, he cursed me. They closer he came to me, I stepped backwards because I don't know this young man. Anyways he carried on from there, after that one of the police stepped out. The boy was cursing him, but he didn't pay him any attention."
Jules Vasquez
"You moved from in front of him why? Because usually if someone, is cursing me out -?"
Woman
"He was intoxicated, and it's not like I knew him; I don't know this young man from anywhere."
Jules Vasquez
"Mr. Lino said that he apologized to you several times more than once. Did he apologize to you?"
Woman
"No."
Jules Vasquez
"He says that the whole event started when he brushed against you."
Woman
"This is the thing. Alright, this young man didn't brush against me. It's like I said, when our group stepped out of the club, he started picking on everyone, cursing out two girls who were in front me. The young man kept on following us. We were exiting the gate at Princess now, and he kept on follow us. So anyways, they asked him what the problem was. The young man was like. 'What you see my problem is? Not just because you all are police, doesn't mean that people are afraid of you.' And he continued cursing. One of the man who was it us, when the young man kept on cursing, he practically - he is not police - he went and punched him in the face."
Jules Vasquez
"He punched the shorter on in the face?"
Woman
"Yes, the young man said that they elbowed him in his mouth, they didn't elbow him, right; they punched him."
And that lead to the knocking down of PC Casimiro
Woman
"Anyways when the vehicle came it's like they swerved into me, and the side of the vehicle knocked to the side. There was a young man walking beside me, and I felt his hand pushing me to the side. When I was rolling on the side walk, I looked up and I saw that the young man was going on top of the vehicle. And what they said about someone jumping on the vehicle - nobody jumped in front of the vehicle. When they knocked the young man - they said that they didn't mean to do that. Now, you tell me, why would you want to fake somebody in a vehicle? To me, that was intentional. Now they are bawling and saying that - if they would only see the condition that this young man is in. He could have died."
And that's why police say it looks like a case of attempted murder:
Sergeant Fitzroy Yearwood, Police Press Officer
"The vehicle that actually knocked him down did not stop. As a trained police officer, the other officers out there tried their best to shoot for the tires to stop that vehicle from leaving a scene. At that time, no one knew the fate of PC Casimiro. The vehicle continued - even after shots were fired, that vehicle sped off."
Jules Vasquez
"You accept that you knocked down somebody?"
Patrick Menzies - Driver/Victim of Abuse
"I accept that I knocked down somebody, but that wasn't intentional. This guy stepped in front of my vehicle. Now, if already looked at these guys hurting my friend like they did; now one will stand up in front of me and I will stop for them to give me my share? No, it's better them than me."
Sergeant Fitzroy Yearwood
"The vehicle was intentionally used in an attempt on someone's life - an officer's life. Because, Jules, the state of mind that these person were in, they were involved in an argument with the officers that left from that compound. And you are saying to me that you swerved after an officer with that vehicle - you were making an attempt on that officer's life. Regardless if it's a civilian or a police officer, you cannot you a vehicle to swerve at anybody's life, saying that you're just feinting them. That's an attempt, because a vehicle is deemed to be used as a weapon."
But after the accident, both men were hunted down at their homes and badly beaten - which police did not refute with their press event today:
Jules Vasquez
"You have not put up any credible alternate version of what happened at that house on Mahogany Street, which is still an abuse. If somebody uses a vehicle as a weapon, they should be arrested, but they shouldn't be beaten."
Sergeant Fitzroy Yearwood
"Jules, I do agree with you on that, and that is why we are investigating these involved internally. If it is proven that they used excessive force on these men at that house, they will be dealt with also, whether criminally or internally, will be determined at the conclusion of this investigation, by the lead investigator, Mr. Dawson. But I am saying, we are investigating that allegation also."
Geovannie Brackett, Plus Tv
"But a disfigured face isn't proof enough?"
Sergeant Fitzroy Yearwood
"Well, Geovannie, that's proof, but at the same time we still have to investigate everything."
Jules Vasquez
"At no point, what happened with that vehicle, and the knockdown - at no point is that being accept as a sufficient provocation for may have happened, what appears to have happened -"
Sergeant Fitzroy Yearwood
"No Jules, we are not accepting that. We are not accepting that because we train our officers to be professional at all times."
And while the outcome of that is pending, this mother is angry at the men who knocked down her son:
Althea Castillo
"I am vexed at him, right, because I think it's him who says that he didn't mean to knock him down, that he was scaring the police. How are you going to scare somebody with vehicle? I don't take that. I don't approve of that at all."
And comparing facial wounds and varying accounts - it's hard to determine who's the victim and who's the aggressor, but right now, it's not hard to know who will be criminally charged.
And while Lino and Menzies will apparently be charged, police say the file is with the DPP and the charge has not been finalized.
