CHARGES will be filed in court today against a bus driver, who assaulted a handicapped man after crashing into the rear of his vehicle last Tuesday, acting Police Commissioner David Ramnarine said.“Both matters are being dealt with, in case of the assault a charge will be filed…. and in the case of a traffic matter also,” Ramnarine said. Police have received a statement from the complainant Roger Gautier.

According to eyewitness, Paul Fraser, while he was travelling home, he witnessed an accident between a bus and a car on the East Bank Demerara carriageway.
Following the accident, the driver of the bus exited his vehicle and abused the driver of the car, a handicapped man.

Looking to ensure that the handicapped man was not taken advantage of, he exited his vehicle and placed himself between the bus driver and the handicapped man.

He explained in a letter published in the media that he was in front of the Harbour Bridge Mall when minibus, licence plate # BNN 3629, which was in the lane to his right, and was northbound, bumped into the back of a car which was in front of him.

There was no obvious damage to either vehicle, and he noticed a child, aged two or three in the car.

“As I remained in my vehicle, I observed the driver of the minibus exit his vehicle, and begin to verbally abuse the driver of the car in front of him, which he had just bumped into. I then saw him pull back his right hand, and punch the driver of the car, through the open window of the car, in his face. The driver of the car was still sitting in his car when he was hit, and the child, who was sitting in the front seat of the car, was now crying. At this point, I exited my vehicle, and stood between the obviously irate mini bus driver, and the assaulted driver of the car,” Fraser stated.

As Mr Fraser tried to intervene, he said the minibus driver told him that he works at the Ministry of the Presidency. He further said that he could do as he likes, and would “deal with me”.

“Looking for assistance in disarming the situation, I beckoned to the police officers who were directing traffic at the Harbour Bridge for help. I then noticed that the only passenger of the mini bus appeared to be a uniformed officer of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).”

Mr Fraser lamented that the GDF officer eventually emerged from the minibus and proceeded to defend the actions of the irate driver to the police, saying that the car had hit the bus.

The GDF officer then claimed that he sat in the vehicle, and did not render any assistance because he could not open his door, Fraser said.