On Monday, January 19, the Sandy Ground neighborhood awoke to a tense atmosphere. The access bridge was blocked by an improvised barricade, making traffic impossible. The bridge barriers and a vehicle were set on fire, while poles and garbage cans were placed in the roadway, plunging the area into a near-total blockade.
The protest stemmed from a police check carried out the previous evening, around 23 p.m., at the entrance to the neighborhood, at the request of the prefect following an armed robbery on Friday night. According to authorities, the intervention escalated after about thirty minutes of insults directed at the officers, leading to the arrest of a young man, who was taken into custody. In the neighborhood, young people denounced the arrest as violent, alleging that the police had struck them, a version disputed by the gendarmerie. On site, Commander Hugues Loyez asserted that the young man “was not beaten” and that his health was compatible with police custody, noting that a hospital visit is standard procedure after any arrest.
On Monday afternoon, a meeting was held at the prefecture between Prefect Cyrille Le Vély, President Louis Mussington, the public prosecutor, representatives from the gendarmerie and local police, and members of the Sandy Ground neighborhood council. Discussions focused on crime, the security situation, and the circumstances of the arrest. A briefing was held in Sandy Ground around 5:00 p.m.: a judicial inquiry was announced to determine whether police brutality had occurred, particularly by reviewing footage from police body cameras.
The authorities reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining public order while strengthening dialogue with the neighborhood. With the help of officials, the road was gradually cleared and access to the area began to be restored around 18 p.m. yesterday evening.
Source: Faxinfo https://faxinfo.fr/en/faits-divers-sandy-ground-sous-tension-apres-une-interpellation/
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