Crime | Dispute over taxi trip refusal leads to assault on police officers

A dispute over the refusal of a taxi driver to accept the custom of a passenger has led to an accusation of assault against the physical integrity of two police officers that attended a call to help resolve the dispute, according to information released during a press conference yesterday afternoon at the Judiciary Police headquarters.
The incident occurred at midnight on July 9 when the police received a call to intervene in a dispute involving a client and a taxi driver in the Rua do Visconde de Paço de Arcos in the Inner Harbor area.
The dispute started when the taxi driver refused to transport a passenger to the requested destination after he noticed that the passenger was clearly under the influence of alcohol.
The police arrived, and after reconciling the two parties – leading to the taxi driver’s departure –  the would-be passenger unexpectedly lay down in the middle of the road and knocked his own head on the asphalt.
The police officers requested help from the Fire Department and an ambulance in their attempt to move the person to the sidewalk. The man in question resisted the effort of the officers and reacted in an aggressive manner. His action resulted in the injuries of at least one of the legs of one of the officers and the chest of the other.
While attempting to escort the man to the police station, the detainee reportedly continued to show aggressiveness, directing insulting and inappropriate language at the officers. He later denied such behavior when questioned at the police station.
Both police officers sustained minor injuries that were treated at the Public Hospital. The detainee was transferred to the Public Prosecutions Officer (MP) where he has been accused of aggravated offences against physical integrity.

‘Tree destroyer’ on the loose at Seac Pai Van

An unknown individual has reportedly destroyed trees and bushes in the surrounding areas of the public housing complex of Seac Pai Van in Coloane, the Judiciary Police (PJ) revealed. The occurrence was reported to the PJ by a staff member of the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, who discovered the scene on July 8, at around 10 am. According to the information from the PJ a total of four trees and 180 bushes were damaged in the area, plants that according to IACM have a value of around MOP49,000. The case is still under investigation by the police force.