Riot almost broke out at Beetham Gardens late yesterday, after angry residents blocked the Beetham Highway and Main Street. The residents were protesting the police killing of Ricky Roberts, 39, and 45-year-old Fabien Mauge, both of Beetham Gardens. The villagers claimed the men were murdered by police on Wednesday night. Gunshots echoed in the community and police officers warned members of the media not to venture into Hell Yard, Beetham. "Don't go inside of there because they shooting up the place," a policeman warned. "Beetham people want war tonight so all you better get out of here," the officer shouted from an unmarked police vehicle as it sped out of the area to the Priority Bus Route.
The drama started shortly before 6 pm, after scores of irate residents blocked the highway causing a traffic jam. Rush hour traffic dragged from the Hasely Crawford Stadium to the highway. There was also traffic on the Priority Bus Route and the Eastern Main Road as motorists sought alternative routes in order to get out of the area. Tires and debris were thrown unto the highway and set on fire by the villagers, who demanded justice for the killings. Scores of heavily-armed officers from various elite police units were called to the scene to restore order. Insp Walcott of the Inter Agancy Task Force said the incident at Beethem stemmed from a shoot-out between police and two murder suspects.
"As a result of that (police killing) they (the residents) are mobilising forces within the area and blocked the bus route and the highway and they started pelting bottles at anything," Walcott said. "The thing is that we have to put law and order back into the streets and we have to do it one way." He said when officers arrived in the area their main objective was to get the residents off the streets so that a level of normalcy could be restored. Walcott said any further incidents of lawlessness would be dealt with in accordance with the law. "It's a zero tolerance approach we are taking and as far as we get things to arrest people for, they would be arrested," he said.
"We heard some shots fired up in Hell Yard earlier. But again, the situation is now under control," he added, as he ordered heavily-armed officers to take up various positions in the area. A villager said the officers should have dealt with the incident in a better manner. "They didn't have to shoot and kill them fellas last (Wednesday) night," he said. A woman accused other officers of taking them into enemy land, Pump Trace, Laventille, to be killed by rivals. However, up to late yesterday, there were no complaints of police brutality by Beetham residents in the area. Acting ASP Sahadeo Singh supervised the clearing of the highway which allowed traffic to flow freely once again.