Five students have reportedly been suspended following an incident on Dundonald Street, Port of Spain, in which a senior political figure says he was assaulted after attempting to intervene in a fight involving schoolchildren.
Police confirmed in a media release dated May 7, 2026, that it is investigating the matter after a 36-second video of the altercation circulated widely on social media. The footage allegedly shows a group of students attacking a man who attempted to break up a fight.
Police said preliminary information suggests that a member of the public observed students engaged in a fight along the roadway and intervened. He was then assaulted by several persons, and later discovered that personal items were missing.
The TTPS said an officer has been assigned to conduct enquiries and that the alleged victim has been interviewed and is currently receiving medical attention while cooperating with investigators.
Chairman of the PNM’s Port of Spain South constituency executive Alderman Wayne Griffith said he was attacked after attempting to stop what he described as a “belligerent” group of Tranquillity Government Secondary School students involved in a fight on Monday afternoon.
Griffith said the incident occurred around 2.30 p.m. on Dundonald Street near the corner of New Street, where he encountered a large group of students blocking the roadway and assaulting another student.
“I was on Dundonald Street approaching the corner of New Street when I saw a number of students impeding my ability to go forward… I recognised over a dozen children were holding one little boy and beating him,” he said.
He claimed that after exiting his vehicle and attempting to intervene, he was struck by a female student and then set upon by several others.
“They ambushed me in numbers… I was dealt further blows, kicked to my head. My body was battered. I was badly beaten,” Griffith said.
He added that despite being under attack, he chose not to retaliate, saying he was conscious that the assailants were schoolchildren.
Following the assault, Griffith said he later realised that his cellphone and watch, valued at approximately $7,000, were missing.
He also sustained multiple injuries, including lacerations to his knees, elbows and palms, and reported ongoing headaches which required medical attention, including a CT scan.
