The incident, Antoine disclosed, occurred on October 10th, 2023 when her son boarded a Route 1A Gros Islet bus from Castries to the Beausejour Junction. According to the mother, her son paid the driver with a hundred-dollar bill but was refused his change. An altercation ensued, she says.

“My son made his way to the driver's window and gave him $100. At that point, [the driver] snatched the hundred-dollar bill from his hand and drove off. My son held onto the window while he was driving, speeding off, saying he wanted his change. Eventually when the guy realised my son wasn’t letting go, he cuffed him in his mouth and he fell and he got some really serious bruises and injuries from the fall,” Antoine told SNO. 

She says she accompanied her son to the polyclinic for treatment. Her son sustained bruises to his arms and lower pack (as pictured above) They also lodged a complaint at the Gros Islet Police Station. Antoine says she did not appreciate the treatment. “We went to the [Gros Islet] Police Station, where we were treated very poorly because the driver went there first and gave his own statement. When we got there, they treated my son like he was not the victim of the situation. The police even threatened to arrest him and put him at Rodney Bay Police Station as a consequence,” she explained. SNO spoke with the Gros Islet Police Station, which denied comment on the ongoing investigation.

Antoine says she still wants justice. “The biggest issue is that the guy took his money and left. The guy brought the money to the police station. So my son did, in fact, pay the driver. The driver actually drove off with his money and then cuffed him in his mouth,” she lamented.

SNO also contacted the Gros Islet Mini Bus Association President, who explained that a report has not yet been made by the aggrieved passengers. SNO’s attempts to contact the bus driver in question have proven futile.