The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) has declared a man arrested, after viral video of him berating Prime Minister Andrew Holness for the tightening of COVID-19 restrictions, was actually taken in as a suspect in a larceny case.

In a statement this afternoon, the JCF said it had taken note of concerns around the appearance that the man was arrested for his viral remarks about the prime minister.

“It is a fact that the gentleman, Shaquille O’Neal Higgins, was taken into custody by the St Ann Police on July 27, 2021,” read a statement from the Corporate Communications Unit (CCU) of the JCF.

“Many persons have drawn a nexus between him being taken into custody and Mr Higgins’ production of the viral video. Persons have drawn the mistaken conclusion that Higgins was taken into custody because of his calumnious remarks.”

‘Come fi mi now’

In the original video, posted Monday night, Higgins is heard saying: ““It ah record? [Expletive deleted] Andrew Holness! Mi name Shaquille Higgins; live ah Main Street, Moneague… [Expletive deleted], come fi mi now!

“Yah real wasteman, you [expletive deleted] Anju. [Expletive deleted]. A who you man? Bout 8 o’clock, afta man plan fi [expletive deleted] Marco Polo, yuh come bout yah…hey bwoy [expletive deleted].”

Higgins was apparently responding to the prime minister’s announcement earlier Monday evening that, due to the uptick in coronavirus cases since the easing of restrictions on July 1, the decision had been taken to tighten restrictions as of today, including moving the nightly curfew on Mondays to Saturday from an 11 pm start to 8 pm.

In a second and third video, apparently shot by the police, Higgins is seen preparing to leave his home with law enforcement and then being coaxed to apologise to the prime minister for his remarks.

In its statement this afternoon, however, the CCU said: “The facts are that Shaquille Higgins was taken into custody as a suspect in relation to a case of Larceny Dwelling, committed on the 24th of July, 2021 against a 45-year-old woman of Moneague, St Ann.

“Investigators were alerted to Higgins’ location by his own declarations, which immediately went viral on social media.”

Added the police: “The Constabulary would like to reiterate the fact that all citizens in our democratic society enjoy wide ranging rights and liberties, including freedom of speech. However, those rights and liberties come with responsibilities and implications.”

Despite this stance on freedom of speech, however, the CCU did not explain why Higgins was seen on video being instructed by police to apologise to the prime minister.

READ: ‘Dictatorship vibes’: Another Jamaican man dragged from his home to apologise to Andrew Holness