(AP)  Six American tourists in Antigua were charged with assault and malicious damage after refusing to pay a cab fare they thought was excessive and later scuffling with police officers.


They blame plainclothes cops for the brawl over disputed cab fare.  I'm sure that the beautiful picture above brings nightmares to people involved in this scuffle.

The defendants _ Shoshannah and Rachel Henry, Nancy and Dolores Lalane, Mike Tierre and Joshua Jackson _ were released on $5,000 bail each Monday and are expected to enter pleas during a court appearance Wednesday. Their hometowns were not immediately available.

The tourists, who were visiting the Caribbean island on a cruise ship stopover, refused to pay a driver who gave them a tour Friday because they believed they were being overcharged, according to police.

The driver charged $50 for a tour ending at a beach, and the dispute started when he told them he would have to double the fee to take them back, police said. A fight broke out after the driver drove them to a police station, and two officers were allegedly injured.

A defense lawyer, Steadroy Benjamin, said the group will challenge the charges of malicious damage, assault and wounding the police officers.

The Carnival Cruise Lines ship left without them.

One of the tourists, Shoshannah Henry, said the group was driven to a police station Friday by the driver of the taxi van when they refused to pay a $100 fare, which she said was twice what they believed they owed.

Henry alleged the plainclothes officers did not announce who they were and initiated the fight.

“We thought these people were trying to kill us,” she said, alleging an officer punched her in the face during the scuffle.

UPH - - What would you do in this situation??  Just think If you were abroad (at an unknown location) and got rushed by plainclothes individuals...  hmmm....