Man Injured By Police Awarded $103K In Damages

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – The Court of Appeal has upheld a 2022 award of $103,000 in damages to a man who was injured by police officers during an arrest.

On September 17, 2018, Lynden Saunders was riding his motorcycle east on Prince Charles Drive when he encountered a traffic accident.

Saunders decided to ride on the sidewalk to bypass the accident.

This prompted the officers who were investigating the accident to order Saunders to dismount his bike. Saunders complied.

Saunders did not have his driver’s license and the officers didn’t believe that he had given them his real name.

As a result, Saunders was arrested for giving a false name. While being arrested, a police officer body slammed Saunders face first on the ground, causing him to shatter his teeth.

A second officer placed his knee on Saunders’s neck, making it difficult for him to breathe.
Saunders was later charged with assaulting the two officers and resisting arrest.

Following his acquittal, Saunders successfully sued for unlawful arrest, false imprisonment and assault and battery.