Antigua police testify against cruise passengers

Travel Weekly
By: Gay Nagle MyersSeptember 10, 2009

Police in Antigua testified Wednesday that six Carnival passengers kicked them, bit them and choked one officer during a brawl at the police station over a disputed cab fare.

Police even claimed that a female officer had braids of hair pulled out.

The testimony came during the opening day of the trial in a St. John’s magistrate court, according to the Antigua Sun.

The six New Yorkers have pleaded not guilty to charges of assault, battery, malicious damage and indecent language. They maintain that they were only defending themselves and that the police were in plainclothes, did not identify themselves as police offers and initiated the fight.

The cruisers arrived in Antigua on Sept. 4 aboard the Carnival Victory for a 10-hour port call. They refused to pay a cab driver who gave them a tour, claiming they were being overcharged.

After the group disputed the charge, the driver drove them to a police station where the brawl broke out.

The trial will resume on Friday.