Protest planned for 6 p.m. today as moped rider remains in a coma in Rhode Island Hospital
PROVIDENCE — The Providence police investigation of Sunday’s officer-involved moped crash is zeroing in on whether a police cruiser struck a stop sign that then slammed into the moped or its rider, Public Safety Commissioner Steven M. Paré said Tuesday.
“That is what we are looking into,” Paré said. “That is a focus of our investigation.”
On Sunday, Providence police responded to calls reporting groups of 300 or more dirt bikes, ATVs, and mopeds buzzing through various parts of the city. At about 6 p.m., a 24-year-old man on a moped crashed while being followed by a police cruiser – flipping over his handlebars and slamming to the ground.
Advertisement
The crash left the rider, Jhamal Gonsalves of Middletown, in critical condition at Rhode Island Hospital.
A cell phone video of the episode shows the cruiser following the small, black moped closely on Elmwood Avenue as it swerves around another cruiser and turns onto Bissell Street.
Amid the sound of squealing tires and a loud crash, the camera pans away for a split second before capturing the image of the moped driver hurtling onto the sidewalk – missing the crucial moment that may have shown whether the police car hit the moped. Almost immediately, bystanders started yelling that the police car had hit the moped from behind, causing the accident.
The Providence police vowed a thorough investigation involving the attorney general’s office and the State Police, saying they expected to issue findings in about two weeks.
During a press conference Monday, Providence Police Chief Hugh T. Clements Jr. said the investigation has not yet determined whether the police cruiser hit the moped.
“I urge everyone not to rush to judgment,” Clements said. “This will be broken down frame by frame, minute by minute.”
The Providence police are looking for additional video of the incident and any witnesses. The officer at the wheel of the cruiser, Patrolman Kyle Endres, has been assigned to desk duty.
Advertisement
Early Tuesday morning, the father of the moped rider, Mark Gonsalves Sr., posted a Facebook update from Rhode Island Hospital.
“Jhamal Gonsalves is fighting just to remain stable,” he wrote. “He is in a coma that is not self-induced by medical staff and doctors. They made an attempt to bring him out of his coma, which was causing his body to much stress. He has swelling of the brain as well as bleeding in the brain in multiple areas of his brain.”
The first 72 hours will be the most critical in determining if his son has “a fighting chance,” Mark Gonsalves wrote. “I wish I could change places with him,” he said.
Mark Gonsalves placed the blame for his son’s condition on the officer driving the police cruiser, saying, “The monster that did this is home sleeping in a bed getting up as he pleases with the ability and will to do as he pleases and is being paid by us the people to cheat life and the law that protects us all to live to do so.”
Many people posted prayers and messages of support, but some criticized Jhamal Gonsalves and other moped, dirt bike, and ATV riders.
Those comments prompted a rebuke from Mark Gonsalves. “No matter what you think about the actions of my son or any rider, if you think what that monster did in a 5,000 lb SUV with a crash bar on the front of it by slamming into my son on a moped with a brick wall behind him and then dragging him by the arm like a dog on a snare and not attempting any medical attention, then than you have no empathy for a human life,” he wrote.
Advertisement
Meanwhile, two groups – the Party for Socialism & Liberation and PROV X PVD – are organizing a protest at 6 p.m. Tuesday outside the Knight Memorial Library at 275 Elmwood Ave. “to speak out against this blatant attack on our community.”
The event is titled “Justice for Jhamal Gonsalves! Stop Racist Police Terror!” The groups are calling for an “independent investigation,” criminal charges against the police officers involved, “reparations for Jhamal and his family,” and immediate cuts to the Providence Police Department budget.
Paré said the police are not sure how many people will take part in the protest. “We will be prepared with resources,” he said. “We ask that it be peaceful.”
Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at edward.fitzpatrick@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @FitzProv.
"Stop" - Google News
October 20, 2020 at 11:23PM
https://ift.tt/37oOtVb
Police investigating whether cruiser hit stop sign that hit moped - The Boston Globe
"Stop" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2KQiYae
https://ift.tt/2WhNuz0
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Police investigating whether cruiser hit stop sign that hit moped - The Boston Globe"
Post a Comment