Two brazen gun-toting bandits yesterday afternoon forced the driver of a Wieting & Richter Ltd vehicle to crash into another vehicle, after firing a shot at the vehicle, and then grabbed an undisclosed sum of money belonging to the company, at the corner of Lamaha and Parade streets.
The incident happened around 4 pm yesterday, shortly after two accounts clerks had left the company’s Water Street location to take the day’s sales of both Wieting & Richter and Harris Paints to Scotia Bank. Only their last names, Hussain and Persaud, were given to this newspaper.
When Stabroek News visited the scene, the vehicle the men were in, PFF 1083, was there with its windscreen damaged as a result of the shot fired by the bandits.
The other car, PHH 7802, which was involved in the accident, was parked some distance away, as according to the female driver, the police instructed her to drive if off the scene. Both vehicles were damaged in front.
This newspaper was told by a manager of the company that while the men were driving along Lamaha Street the driver realised he was being followed by two men on a motorcycle.
The driver accelerated with the intention of driving straight to Eve Leary, and the motorcycle also picked up speed. The manager said he was told that as his employee attempted to turn into Parade Street, he collided head-on with the other car.
The pillion rider then got off the motorcycle, entered the vehicle and took the bag of money before rejoining his partner in crime and the two rode off up Lamaha Street.
The female driver of the other vehicle said she was also heading into Parade Street from Lamaha, but from the opposite direction when she observed the other vehicle approaching her at a very fast rate. She said another car turned before her and as she waited her turn the vehicle slammed into hers. The young woman said she heard a shot about the same time and when she looked up she saw a man exiting the vehicle with a gun; he joined another man on a motorcycle and rode away.
The traumatised young woman was standing at the scene long after the incident waiting for the investigators to take a statement from her.
Wieting & Richter’s manager said that after the incident occurred someone in the area called the office and informed them that their vehicle was just robbed as the company’s logo was on the vehicle.
“As we were coming one of the clerks was entering the compound. He did not even know how he reached the office so fast, but he ran all the way,” the manger said. The two clerks were taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital for a check up since they were very shaken.
When Stabroek News left the scene police investigators had just arrived even though the incident happened just a stone’s throw away from traffic headquarters. Just one traffic officer was on the scene when this newspaper arrived and when the investigators arrived children in the area were already playing around the car and touching it even as the fingerprint expert arrived with his kit. An adult on the scene warned one of the children that his prints would be found all over the vehicle when it was dusted.
