Bitter debate as cops look to question lawyer who “cussed” traffic rank after pulled over
Upset lawyer: Ryan Crawford
There is a bitter debate raging after a “routine” traffic stop Thursday by a police rank ended up with a video going viral and questions about the powers of the police.
The police rank posted the video on his Facebook page. It quickly went viral.
In the video, which lasted just over 3:50 minutes, a man who identified himself as “Ryan f#@king Crawford”, an attorney-at-law, was highly upset at being stopped, questioning the cop about the legality of it.
He later drove away. The cop was videoing the stop and the lawyer seemed to be fully aware of it.
The incident was said to have occurred on the East Coast of Demerara.
Yesterday, Commander of ‘D’ Division, Calvin Brutus, said that he has requested the assistance of the ‘B’ Division, in East Berbice, for a statement to be taken from the lawyer.
The commander said that the file will be sent for advice.
According to the video, the BMW sedan, driven by Crawford, was pulled over somewhere along the East Coast Demerara roadway.
The lawyer, who had a male passenger seated next to him, demanded to know why he was stopped.
The rank said he could not see the driver properly and therefore stopped the car.
However, this angered the lawyer who insisted that he was behind two trucks and was not buying that explanation.
“What sc#%t you telling me man? What f#%ing nonsence you telling me?”
The tirade continued.
“My name is Ryan f#%ing Crawford. You tell whoever you talking to… attorney-at-%&ing law. You heard me? So #%k you.”
The lawyer said he did nothing wrong and refused to produce his driver’s licence.
“I don’t give a #%k. I did not do anything wrong,” the lawyer responded on a request for his documents.
The lawyer loudly said that there must be reasonable suspicion and probable cause to stop him.
The lawyer also refused to wind up his driver’s side window, demanding that the cop use a “tintometer”.
“Bring your tintometer. Bring your tintometer and check my f#%king glass.”
The upset lawyer challenged the police rank to go and tell each and everyone – the f#%king Commander; the f#%king president and the #%king vice president.
Crawford made it clear that he has a “#%king” right to travel on the road freely without interference, unless he breaks the “#%king” law.
“I did not. You have no right.”
The audio on the video went off and then shortly after, the car drove away. The video ended.
Yesterday, social media bitterly debated the stop with critics divided on the incident.
On one hand, there were cheers for Crawford’s behaviour, for saying what many felt about the “abuse” by traffic cops in shakedowns of motorists.
There were others who felt that he went overboard and should have produced his documents when asked.
Attorney-at-law, Sanjeev Datadin, raised the question about the legality of the stop although admonishing the way that Crawford conducted himself.
“So my friend Ryan Crawford has done more in three minutes and 39 seconds to inform every citizen that the Police must have a reason to stop you on the public roadways BEFORE they stop you than the judges and magistrates have done for the past 25 years. Everyone has a view on the way he delivered his lesson on the law but it’s a clear and accurate lesson all the same.”
Datadin said that for too long, there are police road-blocks and ranks on road corners stopping citizens for no apparent reason.
“…well they need a reason to stop you first … a good and valid reason … not because they feel like or they are doing “spot checks” … the Police also like to say it’s “random” checks … random checks are arbitrary and unlawful. Ryan Crawford …that was some “speech” tho … great birthday present … ha ha ha … won’t be forgotten … lol.”
However, police spokesman, Jairam Ramlackhan, explained that the police have the power to stop and search and detain. It must be followed by a suspicion, for example if the car is driving dangerously.
According to Ramlackhan, any policeman can stop and search, once there is reasonable suspicion.
The issue of stopping and demanding documents from drivers has been a hotly contested one.
Many drivers complain of being victims of shakedowns to buy a ticket to some police function or leave a “lil drinks money.”
In December 2013, a groundbreaking High Court ruling and a judgment of over $2M had raised the issue.
The plaintiff was none other than a sitting judge, Navindra Singh.
The judge was a lawyer in 2006 when he said his car started giving problems. He was accused by a police patrol of obstructing traffic and then pulled into the corner and told they wanted to search his vehicle.
The lawyer resisted and was later taken to the station. He was charged for having expired documents but the case went nowhere. He later sued and won.
In the judgment, Justice William Ramlal said that research of the Police Act found that ranks may also stop, search and detain any person who may be reasonably suspected of having or conveying in any manner anything stolen or unlawfully obtained.
The instances must contemplate a situation where an offence has already been committed.
”Let me say at the outset that the police have no power to stop, search, arrest and detain any citizen under Section 17 and/or Section 19 unless he has reasonable grounds for suspicion that he will find stolen or prohibited articles or that he has reasonable grounds to suspect that a person whom he reasonably suspected has committed an indictable offence will be found, or that any person has committed a summary or indictable offence in his view or presence or that he has credible and reliable information from someone that a person has committed a summary or indictable offence.”
The court also questioned how the police ranks moved from traffic offences to searching for guns and ammunition.
Justice Ramlal said that the conduct of the policemen was wholly unacceptable and renders them incapable of discharging their functions as members of the Guyana Police Force in a manner acceptable to the public.
In January 2016, the police force had issued a statement saying that “traffic ranks are not authorised to stop motorists for routine checks of documents. They should only do so if an offence is committed in their view or where there is reasonable suspicion.”
The Police Force also said that “its policy is that police ranks in plain clothes and in unmarked vehicles are not authorised to stop motorists except when they are performing duties on the roadway in front of a Police Station.”