Showdown at Elections and Boundaries registration office

By Aaron Humes: Reports filtered in from Tuesday of an altercation between a worker for United Democratic Party standard-bearer Lee Mark Chang and a scrutineer from the Opposition People’s United Party, involving accusations of gunplay and COVID-19.

Yesterday we got both sides, speaking first to Carilee Perteau, from Victoria Street in the Fort George division.

Perteau said she was waiting for the woman she had brought as a scrutineer to change divisions when she encountered the man, identified as Andrew Bradley. She knew that Bradley worked for Chang and that Chon Saan Palace Restaurant was closed, and believed that since Chang was in self-isolation, his workers should be likewise.

So she told Bradley to distance himself from her and her vehicle because “as far as I know, fi unu business eena quarantine, unu no business out yah.” When he replied, “Dah people like unu gah da (expletive) di go bout,” she cited media reports about his boss and again asked that he move away.

According to Perteau, after telling her he knew what to do with her, he went into his right-side pants pocket and withdrew a firearm, then said she could continue talking. Perteau said she told him that he didn’t need a gun to threaten her. He allegedly put the weapon away and left in his vehicle.

Perteau said she filed a police report at Queen Street Police Station. Later, neighbours told her that Bradley, whom she identified from a Facebook page photo sent to her via telephone, was near her house last night and he passed her on the street smirking yesterday morning, leading her to fear for her life and believe that nothing will come out of her report.

Nonetheless, she plans to file a further report concerning his reported threatening activities and demands that she gets justice.

“My life da no wah game, dah no wah toy. So I no wa mek ih get way with it. Either the police do their part, or else I will have to intervene and do my part,” the single mother of five vowed, adding that there were several witnesses to what happened. But none were willing to corroborate on camera.

Bradley, she told us, was not wearing a mask doing their encounter (he later said he was and she wasn’t). She said she had previously been threatened by him two to three weeks ago following a separate, unrelated altercation at the office, but she insists it is not political or personal on her part.

About an hour after, Bradley spoke to reporters. First, he said that he had been cleared by Ministry of Health personnel as he was not a close contact of Chang.

According to Bradley, he was picked up about 4:00 p.m. in the afternoon by police, to whom he insisted that he did not have a firearm with him and has never owned one, licensed or unlicensed. The police had Perteau in the vehicle with them. He said he cooperated and as far as he is aware, the matter remains under investigation.

Bradley also points out that there were police officers stationed in the area and that he had gone out to buy at the nearby Li Chee Restaurant and returned around 2:11 p.m., 41 minutes later. If it had happened as Perteau claims, he said, someone would have approached them.

Bradley claims not to know the woman and insists that he is being picked on just because he works for Chang and not even in a political capacity. That this has blown up in this way on social media has left him “shocked,” he said.

Bradley confirmed he and Perteau quarreled about whether he had COVID-19 or not, but the object he had in his hand was not a weapon, but a cell phone which he put away before leaving. 

Bradley says he is “110 percent” innocent and will look into his legal options when, as he expects, he is cleared by police.

As for his contacts with Chang, they were few in his 12 years working at Kelly Street, according to Bradley. He is a messenger/delivery man/waiter for the restaurant and is lucky if he sees the boss come in or head out, busy as he is. On Tuesday, he was directed to pick up and drop off workers from the Elections and Boundaries office and says he witnessed workers from the other side “sticking middle fingers” at him and those in his vehicle.

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