Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer
( L - R ) GEORGE PHANG AND ROBERTS
POLICE KEPT three of south St. Andrew's most influential figures in custody for a second night yesterday, as they continue to investigate their alleged roles in gang violence in the Jones Town section of that area.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Mark Shields told The Gleaner yesterday that brothers George and Andrew Phang, and music industry executive Patrick Roberts, have yet to be interrogated.
"As I speak, the office is preparing to interview them, but it will be premature of me to say that they will be charged," said DCP Shields. He did not say where the men were being held.
The arrests of the Phangs and Mr. Roberts came at the close of a bloody year in south St. Andrew, where police say more than 100 persons have been murdered in the past 18 months.
Three persons were killed there on Christmas Eve.
In early 2004, there were rumours of a rift between George Phang, a dominant personality in the Jones Town community, and Mr. Roberts, who hails from nearby Craig Town.
In an interview with The Gleaner last year, Mr. Roberts denied any animosity with Mr. Phang, who has been involved with South St. Andrew since the 1970s.
PHANG SHOT IN 2003
Mr. Phang was shot 17 times by gunmen on the evening of March 13, 2003, while he played dominoes in Jones Town. No one was arrested in connection with that incident.
Mr. Roberts is a director of Shocking Vibes Productions, the organisation that manages several dancehall artistes including Grammy winner Beenie Man. He is also a director of the Jamaica Football Federation.
At the height of the violence in south St. Andrew in June last year, the police seized Mr. Roberts' firearm for ballistics testing, while Mr. Phang was briefly detained for questioning.
Yesterday, security forces patrolled sections of south St. Andrew where several lanes were blocked by debris.
