A man who reportedly assaulted a police officer who attempted to give him a ticket for failing to wear a face mask in public was granted $80,000 bail with surety, after pleading not guilty to a series of charges when he appeared before a Port-of-Spain Magistrate on Tuesday.
A statement from the T&T Police Service reported that Marc Anthony Joseph, of Nelson Street, Port-of-Spain, was arrested and charged with two counts of assaulting a police officer in the execution of his duties, resisting arrest, using obscene language and littering.
The charges arose out of an incident which allegedly occurred last Friday (November 13), in which a police officer issued a ticket to the accused for failing to wear a face mask.
According to the TTPS statement, the man allegedly became very hostile towards officers, refusing to accept the ticket. He reportedly discarded it by throwing it onto the roadway. An officer picked up the ticket and attempted to reissue the ticket to the accused, but the man reportedly verbally and physically attacked the officer. Following his attack on the officer, other police officers subdued the man. The TTPS stated that the suspect allegedly continued to behave in a loud and irate manner before officers managed to arrest him.
Two police officers injured during the melee were taken to hospital for treatment.
The man was charged with the offences by Cpl Bacchus and PC Durrant.
