Following many calls by the public to have Attorney-at-Law, Ryan Crawford answer to the Court of Law after he was seen in a viral Facebook video hurling profanities at a Traffic Officer who stopped him, charges will be instituted on Friday.
According to a statement issued by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) the Attorney will appear before the Mahaicony Magistrate’s Court where he is expected to be charged for the “Prohibition of Tinted Glass and failure to produce his driver’s licence.”
Additionally, he will also be charged for “driving an unfit motor vehicle, the use of obscene language and for his riotous behaviour.”
Last week, the lawyer came under fire after the video which was posted by the Officer showed him heatedly refusing to comply with the requests of the Officer, which was to hand over his motor vehicle’s documents and to wind up his tinted car window.
After being stopped on the East Coast Demerara (EDC) road Crawford proceeded to question the Officer as to his reason for doing so.
In the almost four minutes long video, the lawyer repeatedly used profanity at the Officer telling him “you can go and tell each and every one of the commanders, the President and Vice President, you go and tell whoever you want…” before driving off.
“C” Division Commander, Calvin Brutus had since launched an investigation into the matter.
Following the posting of the video, Crawford had taken to his Facebook page to make fun of the incident even going as far as to marketing himself.
The Bar Association however, in a statement to the press condemned Crawford’s actions imploring him and its other members to conduct themselves in a professional manner.
It was only after same that the lawyer issued a public apology but added that he was not sorry for questioning arbitrary authority.
His apology stated “I am not trying to justify my behaviour. My language was not proper as an officer of the courts nor as a member of the Bar of Guyana. I apologize for my language, but I’m not sorry for questioning arbitrary authority”.
In his apology, Crawford also stated that his frustration was the cause of his expletive rant noting that he was only attempting to get his point across which is that he was illegally stopped.
The matter has attracted the attention of many Guyanese and has significantly divided opinion. While some have expressed the need for more becoming behaviour, many have expressed frustration at constant random stops from Police ranks on the roadways.
