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Today we spoke to the 24 year old Tillett, who told us that from the moment the officers arrived, he was alert to their movements. It seems that one of the cops interpreted that as aggression.

Anthony Tillett
"When I looked, everyone was coming out of the truck. So, I knew it was a search. My attention from the person in the shop turned to the police. So, now I am looking at the police but I am half way inside of the shop. I already put my hand on my head because I saw that one was coming directly to me, the one that attacked me. I saw him coming directly to me and his face reaction and everything told me that he had a problem with me. So, quickly I put up my hand. When he reached me he started to search but he didn't show me his hand he just start to push his hands in my pocket and I told the man, 'brother, I need to see what you are doing in my pants' and I lowered my voice to the lowest so he knows that I am not trying to make people see any scene. So, I lowered my voice to the lowest I could. I told him, 'my brother you can't put your hand in my pocket like that.' The man told me, 'shut up, don't tell me nothing.' I told the man, 'brother you and me are human a like you have to treat me like I am human. You can't rough me up and tell me shut me up.' The man said, 'bwai, you don't here I say shut up!' and he pushed me in my face and I end up turned in the Chinese. I wasn't even paying him mind when he pushed me in my face. I just took it. And he come from behind and grabbed me around my neck and started choking me. And the other officer, I feel like he didn't really know what was happening because he was searching someone over there. And when he saw the commotion he just started reacting. He grabbed me and the the other one started punching me on my face and all about. So, I told him, the same police that just now punched me g. The man rushed at me again. And then the other police had to grab the man back and tell him, 'bwai relax. What happened?' Right then I came out from out of my corner, the police came to hold me from my hand and told me that I detained. But he never told me why I was detained. But I still am going with him because I am just trying to stay away from that one that beat me. It is not a matter of fair but the police, we respect them, you understand? and then I went with the police that told me I was detained. So, now I am going towards the truck and something just told me in my mind, 'bwai, run!' So I ran from there. And the reason I ran was because I just get punched up and this one that was taking me doesn't tell me why I was detained but is just taking me. I don't know where they would have taken me. They could have carried me somewhere and beat me up more. And if you can beat me in front of people what else you wouldn't do? It is really sad because they are people we look up to for protection, you understand? The problem is happening because not everybody in the community are bad people, you know. They have good people around. And if we could help the police, who wouldn't help them. But if you are treating people like this why would we help them? We could, but why would we if they are treating us like this. And all we get victimize for is because of our looks, our hair. And then I don't feel like we supposed to get victimized. We are Belizeans, everybody has there own mindset of how we want to look."

Tillett has reported the incident to the Professional Standards Branch and gotten a medico legal form.