Taxi tussle: 6 US tourists charged with assault in Antigua after scuffle over cab fare
By APMonday, September 7, 2009
6 American tourists charged in Antigua scuffle
ST. JOHN’S, Antigua — Six American tourists in Antigua were charged with assault and malicious damage after refusing to pay a cab fare they thought was excessive and later scuffling with police officers.
The defendants — Shoshannah and Rachel Henry, Nancy and Dolores Lalane, Mike Tierre and Joshua Jackson — were released on $5,000 bail each Monday and are expected to enter pleas during a court appearance Wednesday. Their hometowns were not immediately available.
The tourists, who were visiting the Caribbean island on a cruise ship stopover, refused to pay a driver who gave them a tour Friday because they believed they were being overcharged, according to police.
The driver charged $50 for a tour ending at a beach, and the dispute started when he told them he would have to double the fee to take them back, police said. A fight broke out after the driver drove them to a police station, and two officers were allegedly injured.
A defense lawyer, Steadroy Benjamin, said the group will challenge the charges of malicious damage, assault and wounding the police officers.
The Carnival Cruise Lines ship left without them.
Tags: Antigua, Antigua And Barbuda, Caribbean, Latin America And Caribbean, Leisure Travel, St. John's, Travel, Violent Crime
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October 12, 2009: 7:06 am
If it was a situation where he called a friend or relative, that person would eventually lose their job over that small amount of money those youngsters refuse to pay. his is a situation where that said taxi man could have made himself clear and the ‘future lawyer’ and her friends could have carried themselves better in a foreign country. It would have been nice to hear the story from all aspects though. One of these girls actually bit out a piece of one of the policewoman’s back. I personally think that that was one of the dumbest thing a person could do to a police. |
 Morgan |
September 23, 2009: 1:50 pm
Dont go to Antigua, go to St. Croix! Its CHEAP! St. Croix Fantastic Flight promotion * $150 per person credit off your vacation package (Maximum 2 per booking) Booking Details Booking Window- September 1 - November 15, 2009 Book a vacation with one of our following partners: * American Airlines Vacations Participating Hotels * The Buccaneer |
 Pellucid |
September 7, 2009: 6:59 pm
You may want to re-check that story. Why would someone agree to a one way fare when they had to return to the ship? The taxi driver attempted to double the fare (common in Antigua) and when he realized that the tourists wouldn’t be intimidated by him alone, he called his friend or relative at the police station and the police allowed him to enter a gated, restricted zone, essentially trapping the tourists, who were similarly not intimidated by third world thugs in uniforms. This sort of thing is common in Antigua. The fact that they tried it on tourists with the guts to stand up to them is the reason this is in the news. |
dadli