Dancehall artiste Stylo G has an unfortunate run-in with local police officers.
Stylo G streams the entire ordeal on his Instagram Live for his fans to witness what took placed between himself, members of his crew and police officers. On Monday, the “Touch Down” deejay received an unpleasant visit by a group of heavily armed police officers. According to Stylo, the officers were given a tip by an unnamed person saying that he has guns inside his home. Cops followed up on the tip-off and converged on the artiste’s Caymanas Estate home.
It’s unclear if law enforcement had a warrant, but during the Livestream, you could see armed police officers inside the house along with Stylo G and his associates were staying.
After conducting their search, the officers found no weapons or any other illegal items in the artiste’s possession or his home. Despite this, the artiste was instructed that he had to go with them to the police station for processing which sparked an onslaught of anger from the deejay. Stylo could not comprehend why he was being asked to visit the National Police College of Jamaica in Twickenham Park, St Catherine.
Although the encounter did not get physical nor violent, the back and forth between the police officers and the artiste went on for approximately 20 minutes during which the deejay expressed his confusion at the circumstances and his distrust of the local police force.
The “Dumpling” deejay then gave his phone to a female associate who continued to record the incident. In the video, the deejay can be heard saying, “People send police ah mi place. Mi know my rights. Why you want arrest me and take me to the station? Why you want to arrest me and yuh don’t find nuh gun? This is wrong, I’m here working”
Stylo G then added, “Keep it live, because this ah Jamaica, mi nuh trust nuttin. Unu come, kick off the door. Gun, everything inna we face,” the deejay said, with his arms imitating a long gun gesture. “We here, and there is no weapons here. You’re gonna take us right now to the station, for what? Unu search the place and nuh find the gun!”
The policemen remaining firm in their decisions explained that he was being transported to the police station for processing. “If you good, we carry you back,” responded the officer.
The officers steadfast in their decision were seemingly unmoved upon being told that Stylo G, whose real name is Jason McDermott, has been a resident of England since he was 15 years old. The officers told the artiste that if he doesn’t comply, he will be cuffed and hauled off to he police station.
The female associate can be heard saying, “Yu battery a dead” to which the deejay responded, “Charge it, charge it, keep it pon di live.”
The artiste was released promptly after being processed, however, the claims that the entire experience has left him angry and traumatized.
In a statement with The Star, the deejay said, “It was the first I’m being in an environment like that. It just traumatizing fi me fi know seh I’m here working on my music and somebody gonna come and take me out of my house for no reason.”
Stylo added that if he had a gun, it would’ve been a legal weapon. Hopefully, this tragic incident does not change Stylo’s entire outlook on Jamaica, and the artiste will continue to visit and work from the island.
