Dancehall

Dancehall Artist L.A. Lewis Says Police Kidnapped Him For Defending Female

L.A. Lewis is opening up about being kidnapped by police officers and being ordered by a judge to get psychiatric evaluation.

It’s been a while that fans have been concerned about the mental state of L.A. Lewis. As recently as January 2021, Parish Court Judge Monique Harrison shared that concern and ordered that Lewis, whose real name is Horace Lewis, be evaluated by a psychiatrist before their next court appearance. He was in court responding to charges of breaching the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA). At the time, he and a small contingent of maroons were protesting the order for people to wear masks as well as against the Covid-19 vaccine.

Part of that order came after Lewis reportedly said he was never arrested by police but actually kidnapped for defending a female. He appeared on OnStage with Winford Williams, where he gave his take on the events that have taken place.

“Fundamentally speaking Winford, I wouldn’t know why a judge would order the permanent chief of the maroon to take a …something like that because she’s not a doctor,” he began. Throughout the interview, he seemed a bit disheveled but was committed to bringing across his side of things.

He went on to say that he believes that the judge ordered the evaluation because he had educated her about the Jamaican constitution, as well as UN rights. This is what he believed motivated her to order the evaluation because most people “expect black people fe be idiot.”

“The judge now is working for her majesty the queen which is a statutory body. I am now a live body, a maroon. Yuh understand I’m a sovereign. There is no way a judge who is working for her majesty the queen can give me orders or give no one order who is a sovereign,” he said. His explanation of why he considers himself to be a sovereign was muddled, but it appears that it has something to do with the fact that Jamaicans have handed over their rights by being citizens, according to him.

He added that the magistrate could not tell him what to do, and this is why she thinks he needs a mental evaluation. He again tried to link having a birth paper as the reason that everyone was not sovereign. He is different because he is maroon, he said. He also said that he has not decided if he will return to court or not. Lewis then explained that the march he was arrested for was organized by a group of women called the Maroon Nationals, and he went to give support.

“The police came and said, move and keep moving. Everything was going good with that part until I saw he grab ah 14-year old baby ….and put handcuff on her hand.” At this point, he told the officer that he couldn’t do that, he added. Following that incident, he followed the officer and told him if he is arresting the girl, then he will have to arrest him as well. This was done because he is the leader of the maroons, he continued. Lewis went down to the police station following the incident, where he claimed he saw an inspector who told him he had no knowledge of the incident.

While trying to reason with the officers in a room, they were told they “chat too much” and that they would be charged. “I was kidnapped,” he said. Lewis then insisted that he was never charged and that he has scoured the Jamaican constitution to prove his innocence. He again went to his claims about birth papers saying that they were made on parchment paper because that type of paper was used for obeah. He also said there would be no peace until the maroons returned to Ethiopia, which is a strange claim considering the original maroons broke out of slavery and claimed the mountains of Jamaica as their land and home.

“If i feel like to go back to court, them say the 16th (March). If I feel and they all know (it’s) if I feel,” he said. He added that while he’s not afraid of an evaluation, he doesn’t need to do one because he “has over three benz” and a government. He also said that the judge should be “trembling in her boots” because if he chose, he could place a lien on her or the Jamaican government.

“What she don’t know Winford, we already send a letter with her name to the world court, to the United Nations, and a lot more people. My team is preparing to send one to the Attorney General,” he said, becoming more agitated when pressed about if he was returning to court. During his rant, he also called for the freedom of Vybz Kartel, who referred to as his “maroon brother.”

He ended the interview by praising the police saying, “I love my police,” and saying that he is now the emperor of Jamaica and is no longer concerned with a music career as he’s made “millions” and is comfortable with his role right now.