Two employees of were arrested on Court Street yesterday following a heated confrontation with Police.

Print manager Jamie Cann, 31, was apprehended for using offensive words and a traffic offence while his wife Shawnae-Nee, 32, an advertising representative, was also taken into custody for obstructing her husband?s arrest and violently resisting her own.

While Police claimed last night they had approached Mr. Cann?s parked car merely to ask him to move off a double-yellow line, Mr. Cann told he was asked by one of the two officers whether he was waiting for cannabis and claimed the parking offence was ?cooked up? just before he was released from custody.

A large crowd reportedly gathered as one of the two officers on patrol attempted to arrest Mrs. Cann, with several onlookers attempting to pull her away from him.

A Police statement released last night claimed the two Policemen had approached Mr. Cann?s double-parked parked car on Court Street at around 1.30 p.m. before asking him to move on.

They then allege Mr. Cann swore at them and refused to provide any of his personal details. ?Shortly afterwards the man?s wife appeared and attempted to obstruct the officers from arresting her husband, while using offensive language,? the statement said.

?At one point, the woman pushed one of the officers in the chest. The officer then went to arrest her and she resisted, scratching the officers? face in the process.

?As the officer was attempting to arrest her a crowd gathered and several people pulled the woman away from the officer, allowing her briefly to escape lawful custody. The attending officers then called for assistance and the woman was apprehended a short time later when other Police units arrived on the scene.?

Mr. Cann gave a different version of events, claiming the officers? opening remark was ?dread, you waiting on some dope?? before telling him they were going to search him and his car under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

?By calling me ?dread? they stereotyped me right off the bat,? he said. ?I dropped my wife off at the bakery on Court Street to pick up some fish sandwiches, drove round the block and waited on the double-yellow line outside.

?When they asked me about the dope I admit I was rude, but they did not mention anything about the parking offence until ten to five in the evening just before we were released. I?m sad and angry.

?I?ve never been involved in any sort of drugs and never been in trouble with the law before in my life. They picked on me because of the way I look ? I fitted their profile. But they got it completely wrong and I admit I got angry.?

Police media relations spokesman Dwayne Caines last night denied the accusations made by Mr. Cann.

?The officers never asked the individual to step out of the vehicle under the misuse of drugs act and also disagree that any racial comments were made,? he said.

Mr. Caines said the officers were looking forward to the opportunity to present evidence and put forth their sequence of events in court. However, Mr. Caines said internal inquiries into the incident were underway.

?If the individuals have a complain they can go to any Police station and make a formal complaint to the Police Complaints Authority.? he said.

Mr. Caines confirmed that Mr. Cann was being charged with a traffic offence and using offensive language while his wife was being charged with obstructing and resisting arrest.