A US-based couple died on the spot yesterday morning when their CBR motor bike crashed into a car at the junction of Norton and Camp streets during a frantic bid to escape from police as they were allegedly not wearing safety helmets.
Dead are Sheldon ‘Popeye’ Jones Levi, the rider of the motor bike, who was also a popular centre right winger/forward of city football team Western Tigers and his 27-year-old wife, Alicia Levi.
The couple had returned to Guyana for the holidays – Alicia only on Saturday night and Sheldon weeks ago mainly to represent his team at this year’s Kashif and Shanghai football tournament. The death of the 34-year-old Sheldon has further plunged the football fraternity into mourning coming mere weeks after national footballer Neil Hernandez was found burnt to death in his Bartica home.
Eyewitnesses to the tragic accident refused to speak on record on what they saw, but were all upset with the police for chasing after the couple for what they referred to as “just helmets”. Police have taken into custody the driver of the car, Edmund Seaforth, a retired fire officer who told this newspaper that he did nothing wrong. They have also pulled in for questioning the ranks who were reportedly trailing the couple. When Stabroek News visited the scene yesterday the dead couple was still lying on the road, blood oozing from their heads and mouths and a large crowd forming a ring around them. There was consternation among those in the crowd, one woman shouting that she did not like police, while others lamented that it was because of the lawmen’s actions that the couple died. Police have repeatedly warned motorcyclists about the need to wear safety helmets.
They attributed many of the road fatalities that have occurred for the year so far to the flouting of this law. Over 200 people have been killed due to traffic accidents this year.
A traumatized Seaforth, hands shaking as he braced against his PBB 5262 Chevrolet motorcar, recounted that it was around 10 am as he was making a left turn onto Camp Street from Norton Street when the accident occurred. He said while completing the turn, the motor bike which was travelling in a southerly direction on Camp Street slammed into him and the couple fell off instantly. Seaforth’s car had a mere dent to its side, while Levi’s motor cycle, a black and silver Suzuki with licence plate number, CD 8567 was almost written off. Seaforth said that he had been driving for decades now and never experienced such a tragedy before.
Impact
Carl Martins, a resident of Norton Street told Stabroek News that he was in his yard when he heard the impact from the accident. He said when he went out he saw the couple lying on the ground. Martins said he saw policemen at the scene and he was surprised that they had responded so quickly.
He said he was later told that the policemen were trailing the couple as they were riding without safety helmets.
Commander of ‘A’ Division Paul Slowe and other senior officers were on the scene yesterday morning. “This is dreadful
