PDP says man seen fighting in party shirt not a candidate

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Deputy political leader of the Progressive Democratic Patriots (PDP) Farley Augustine and party chairman Sean Nedd were yesterday distancing the party from widely circulated videos of a man in a PDP t-shirt fighting with a man in a white shirt – a police officer.

The fracas took place at the Port Mall in Scarborough where the PDP has a logistics hub office and the man in the white shirt is allegedly a plainclothes officer.

In an early morning interview on CNC3’s Morning Brew programme, Augustine sought to make it “abundantly clear” that no PDP candidate or member of the executive was involved in the melee.

“It happened late last night (Wednesday) and we are still trying to get some backstory on it and what I have been informed is that we have an unidentified police officer, in plainclothes, who did not identify himself and that officer had some challenges with a young lady at the Port Mall,” Augustine said.

He said that the man in the PDP t-shirt was defending the woman.

“That led to a heated argument and some fists flying between two big, hardback men,” Augustine said.

On Wednesday night Augustine directed questions to Nedd, who Augustine said was nearby when the fight started.

Nedd yesterday denied that it was a PDP candidate involved in the fracas but said the man in the white shirt was a “plainclothes officer.”

Nedd said he only had third-hand information because he saw it in passing but learned that the PDP supporter was defending a woman who was being confronted by the man in the white shirt.

The woman, Nedd said, reportedly requested identification from the man who is said to have refused

“Onlookers wearing PDP garb intervened,” Nedd said.

Nedd said that he believes the matter would end up in court.

Meanwhile, police sources in Tobago said two women were arrested and a warrant issued for a man who were all involved in the fracas.

Police said an acting Corporal was at the mall when he cautioned a woman against using obscene language.

Police said when the woman continued, she was arrested by the officer but along with a female friend allegedly resisted arrest.

Police said a struggle ensued and a man intervened on behalf of the women, allowing them to leave the scene.

Investigators said the officer was forced to seek medical attention.

The two women were charged yesterday police said with resisting arrest, assault and other charges.—With reporting by Otto Carrington