A Toddler is Crushed by a GSU Patrol Vehicle on Iguana Street

Tevin Cacho

A two-year-old-boy was gravely injured and is hospitalized tonight at the Karl Huesner Memorial Hospital. Tevin Cacho sustained severe injuries to the head after he was crushed by a truck on Iguana Street Extension. The accident happened almost at the blink of an eye. Tevin was running across the street to his mother who was at a store in the neighbourhood. Police Constable Marvin McKoy of the Gang Suppression Unit drove up at the same time. Tevin was caught under the front wheel of the police mobile and bystanders had to lift the truck to pull him out. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports on the horrible accident.

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

A toddler is clinging to life at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital after being ran over by a pickup driven by GSU personnel on Thursday night.  Two-year-old Tevin Cacho was reportedly at this playground on Iguana Street Extension along with several other kids when a truck pulled up in front of Kim’s Shop.  In the driver’s seat was Police Constable Marvin McKoy.  He was accompanied by a team of officers who alighted the vehicle to address an issue of loitering and public drinking in front of the grocery store.  What transpired thereafter was caught on surveillance camera.

Voice of: Sherima Moody, Mother of Accident Victim

“Yesterday da mi my birthday, we buy wahn rum so we gaan da Kim’s Shop fi buy wahn orange juice fi mek we drink with di rum.  Meanwhile we stay out deh so, we stand up out deh so but I di buy da di store, I sih di GSU truck come underneath speed.  But before that my baby mi deh ova di park.  He, my nephew, we and then we mi deh ova da di park, then I gaan cross a dih shop gaan buy fi he thing.”

According to Sherima Moody, she wasn’t at the store for more than three minutes when an unmarked pickup came speeding in their direction.  At that very moment her son was also crossing the street.

Voice of: Sherima Moody

“I di buy when I sih di GSU truck come speeding.  Dehn come speeding but dehn noh look nowhere else but dehn come di look pan this crowd weh deh ova ya weh dehn wahn chase from di Chiney shop.  So when dehn come, dehn just come, brakes di vehicle hard.”

A first responder, who asked to remain anonymous, describes what he saw when he learned that baby Tevin was trapped beneath the front, right wheel of the vehicle.

Voice of: First Responder

“Dehn get fi find out [that] wahn kid deh unda di vehicle.  So then now we gwein fi lift di vehicle but none ah di GSU dehn wahn help, not even di driver come out.  We lift di vehicle with di driver een deh.  Then now when we di pull ahn out now, we di ask di W weh di deh now fi help lift [but] nobody wahn do nothing.  Then now dehn abandon all dehn duties.”

Isani Cayetano

“They were under the presumption that the child was already dead, correct?”

Voice of: First Responder

“Yeah.  Di first thing weh di W mi bawl dat how ih done dead but dehn noh even gaan underneath deh.  Da me mek it my business fi gaan underneath, assess di situation and tek control ah weh dehn shoulda mi do.”

Tevin’s mother says that the driver appeared to be in a state of shock and remained frozen inside the vehicle with its engine still running.

Tevin Cacho

Voice of: Sherima Moody

“I think he noh come out ah di vehicle because he done know he knock down my baby and he frighten or he noh know weh fi do because he noh come out none at all.  From dehn reach he noh come out or nothing, he just sihdown een deh like a shock.  But that da noh he because he da always di rough one. When we di walk off, di baby, di baby deh pan di ground, di baby deh underneath di vehicle.  Everybody shocked.  I climb underneath di vehicle fi my baby but when I climb under there fi my baby, di whole side ah ih face done mash off.  So when I sih dat I get frighten.  I crawl right out back from underneath di vehicle and my baby stand up and my sista get ahn.”

To free the wedged infant, several young men in the area hefted the vehicle while Moody’s sister dragged him out.  The extent of Tevin’s injuries are severe.

Voice of: First Responder

“When I mi di lift da just fi mi ease it because then I done gaan underneath deh, I done sih how di vehicle di rest pan ahn, so I done sih dei best way fi mek ih head noh pop da fi raise it up until I could get assistance.  So I raise wahn portion and then the neighbors dehn help with the rest, then ih auntie pull ahn out.  Not even di police neither, dehn mi done squeamish bout di whole situation, dah like dehn noh wahn sih no brains or nothing.”

The child was immediately rushed to the K.H.M.H. where he remains under treatment.  His mother shared the doctor’s prognosis.

Voice of: Sherima Moody

“Di docta dehn seh ih head fracture real bad.  Ih head get fractured pan di two side.  Dehn seh ih left eye bag dehn supposed to bust.  But last night dehn tell me like ih noh got no chance, but this morning dehn tell we ih got wahn fifty-fifty chances because when I call ih name and dehn thing deh ih still try kick, but dehn tell me mek I noh fool with ahn because I did stimulate ahn and dehn noh wahn… But ih response, ih whole head open up, I noh know.  I noh know.  Only God could help me and my baby.”

PC Marvin McKoy has since been served with a notice of intended prosecution. Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.