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Off duty officer, PC Ralph Gillett was on a water taxi returning from the Caye Caulker Lobsterfest when a minor dispute about seating turned into a full out brawl on the boat. How it ended and the suggestion of a hate crime motive, is what's causing controversy tonight. Here's the story:...

Jules Vasquez reporting
PC Ralph Gillette has won commendations for his exemplary work. Like this time when he kindly walked an elderly woman across the street. But, on Sunday he wasn't in uniform when he got on the water taxi leaving Caye Caulker.

Caleb Orosco, UNIBAM Advocate
"Ralph Gillette arrived on the boat, place a shoal next to him to secure a seat for his friend Britney Cherrington. There was a lady next to him who was also saving a seat for her sister. When the friend showed up and took the seat, the other person who was being reserved a seat got a little upset. Now. some words were exchange and Ralph essentially mentioned "I don't know why these people are quarrelling over a chair." It didn't take too long for a lady who was drinking on the other side of the boat to yell shut up you bla, bla, bla... So no gay man will be disrespected by anybody with homophobic remarks and Ralph answered 'you shut me up bla, bla, bla...' and that's when the conflict ensued."

An ugly conflict - that escalated to dangerous levels with Gillette stinking and being struck.

But the next video we see shows only Gillette - detained by his fellow officers - and then placed in a submission hold. He passes out - and an officer slaps him while he is unconscious:

Caleb Orosco
"I was completely disgusted. I was not surprised. It proved the point that there is a culture of punitive action in the police department which was in solidarity with the mob mentally of lynching this fellow who was already unconscious."

Indeed, the jeers and slurs from many on the boat can be heard as they watch this lawman brought low on the pier.

Caleb Orosco
"Not only did they placed this fellow in an unconscious state, they showed the public that they agreed with rendering the dignity of this individual worthless in front of the public eyes and for that I am completely saddened that in this day and age respect for rule of law means that certain parts of our citizen is of less value than others. The PC was arrested. The witnesses were threatened with jail time should they step into the station and I find that sad as well as recognizing that the people who triggered this conflict, this act of misogyny an act of homophobia were let go. The behaviour of the police department showed their willingness to amplify violence in the name serving the individual morality, instead of showing the value of respect for rule of law. In this regard the first thing I would call on is for the commissioner of police to conduct a thorough investigation as to whether homophobia was grounded in the behaviour of the officer to sleep hold this person until he was unconscious and for the other officer who deliberately slap this unconscious person who by the way is one of their own, despite the fact that he was not resisting in any way, shape or form. The culture of the police department to use brute force and ignorance in the investigation seems to be a normal thing. The culture of the police department seems to be to use violence to subdue persons and then ask questions later. That to me is a reflection of a culture that does not understand natural justice or due process. We cannot normalize solidarity the call for public lynching through the police department. We pay our taxes. For me its time for a change."