Who wants to come home from a vacation on a tropical cruise? A bunch of New Yorkers who got into a fight with cops in Antigua and could end up in jail, that's who.
Six of the members of the group were charged with assault and face up to two years in jail if convicted, according to a published report. But they say they fought the cops in self-defense; that the plainclothes cops in Antigua didn't show any badges and just started throwing punches, reports the Daily News.
"They came out punching and kicking us in the middle of the street for everyone to see," 23-year-old Dudley Brutus, of Brooklyn, told the paper. "We had been saying this is one of the nicest vacations we ever had."
The mother of 25-year-old Joshua Jackson, who is awaiting trial in Antigua, said the six people charged with assault were good kids and that the cops took advantage of them.
Jackson, Brutus and 10 of their friends were enjoying some R&R in the middle of a weeklong Caribbean cruise when their boat docked in Antigua on Sept. 4 and they opted to take a cab to the beach, reports the News.
The vacationers ended up taking a cab to the police station; the driver allegedly tried to charge them $100 – double what they had agreed upon –- and they balked. Police Commissioner Tom Bennett said two of his cops got hut in the brawl that ensued.
The six people charged in connection with the fracas pleaded not guilty and were let go on $5,000 bail last week. Their cruise ship departed without them, but fortunately, a kind Antiguan woman gave them shelter, reports the News.
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Even though their punishment, if convicted, could involve jail time, the group's lawyer says it's more likely they'd get hit with a couple thousand dollars in fines apiece.
