Red Light, Paynesville– Officers of the Liberia National Police (LNP) and the Paynesville City Corporation (PCC) enforcement unit engaged in a violent confrontation, forcing traders, commuters, and residents to run for their lives as tear gas filled the air in the crowded Red Light quickly descended into chaos.
By Jaheim T. [email protected]
Eyewitness accounts describe a scene of confusion and shock, with police officers fighting among themselves, while pedestrians and marketers choked on tear gas and scrambled for safety.
The precise cause of the altercation remains unclear, but the confrontation escalated rapidly, drawing in additional units, including officers from the Police Support Unit (PSU).
“This place is covered with tear gas… I can’t even speak,” a reporter from Explorer TV who was reporting from the scene, visibly gasping for air as the chemical fumes swept through the busy commercial hub.
“The police and the PCC officers are in a huge confrontation. I don’t know what has unfolded here,” he said.
Some marketers fled into nearby corners and areas to avoid being injured while others cheered and provoked officers for their unprofessionalism as they clashed in the middle of the commercial hub
Videos from the scene show PCC enforcement personnel and LNP officers shouting, pushing, and exchanging blows while PSU officers attempted to intervene.
The video footage displayed Marketeers escaping, including vulnerable street vendors, caught directly in the tear gas cloud.
The footage also showed pedestrians covering their faces with clothing, walking from the scene.
However, this is not an unusual occurrence of clashes between officers. In February, a violent altercation unfolded at the intersection of S.D. Cooper Road and ELWA Junction in Paynesville between the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) and the Liberia National Police (LNP), which led to Officer William K. David, known as “Safety 4,” being severely injured in the head.
The Incident occurred when five LNP officers allegedly attacked an AFL soldier riding a motorbike in an area where motorcycles are prohibited.
This minor traffic dispute set the stage for a violent confrontation. The following day, a group of more than 10 AFL soldiers, clearly seeking retribution, confronted LNP officers at the same location leading to Officer David’s head injury.
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