On Friday we told you that a journalist, PlusTV's Ljay Wade was assaulted by police officers while conducting his duties near the scene of a drowning at Guanacaste Park. The officers reportedly took phone and demanded he delete the footage he took of them moving the body. However, Wade stood his ground despite being pushed up against the mobile. Today he told us exactly what happened.
Ljay Wade, Journalist, PlusTV
"So when I was recording them leaving the scene, put my phone in my back pocket and I was going to go to the scene after they left but after they put the body in the truck, two of them came around to the side where I was. One of them grabbed my left hand, the other one grabbed my right hand. They put both my hands behind my back up into my lower back area, telling me that I won't be allowed to leave the scene until I delete the video that I took. The officer went into my back pocket, took my phone out of my back pocket, and held my phone above his head, telling me I won't get back my phone until I delete the video because I'm not allowed to record what they're doing with the body."
"They continued to walk me towards the mobile, pushing me in my back while they were walking me so at that point I'm trying to reach for my phone again to record what they're doing to me. The guy took my phone away from me again and told me that I'm not allowed to use my phone because I'm officially detained."
"They continued to march me towards the mobile, they threw me up against the side of the vehicle. At that point I turned around like, what are you doing? I'm not trying to aggress you or anything. And the guy was shouting at me telling me I won't be able to leave until I delete the video and I said well, I'm not going to delete the video so I don't know what will happen. And then he asked me my name and at that point, I guess that was the first time I could have formally introduce myself, I said I'm Louis Wade, I work with PlusTV, journalist. And he looked at me up and down for like 20 seconds and said let the man go. Then he walked away, then he came back started pointing in my face, telling me that if I posted the video he would sue me, he was cursing me out, telling me he would sue me if I posted the video because the video had his face in it."
"I asked the other guy can I get your name and badge number at that point he showed me his middle finger and told me eff off, and my name is eff you, get the eff out of the crime scene and that was the situation."
While Wade had initially decided not to give a statement, he has changed his mind. However, he said when he visited the PSB office this afternoon, no one was there, so he will try again in the morning.
Email
Print