-shots exchanged with police

By Cathy Richards
Drama ensued after a gunman staged a daring daylight robbery at Digicel’s flag store at Republic Avenue, Linden yesterday afternoon making off with an undisclosed sum of cash and ‘Bimmer’ flex cards after firing at persons who attempted to pursue him.

The robber was also involved in a shoot-out with police, but managed to evade capture by entering a bushy area, which the police searched for hours without finding him.

Persons on the scene said they knew the bandit and that he was an ex-soldier and former constable with Linmine. They said that having entered the store, the man held the security guard at gunpoint and ordered the staff to lie face down. He then turned the gun on a female staff member who was behind the counter and ordered her to surrender all the cash and cards. She complied.

When Stabroek News arrived on the scene the two staff members, including the supervisor, two security officers and a former supervisor of the store were seen in the locked building.

The eyewitnesses said that the bandit had lurked near the Digicel store for most of the morning prior to the robbery. They said he was dressed in a black and white jersey, black jeans and a pair of dark sunglasses and had been seen chatting with security guards posted at the Regional Administration building along with a few other persons. According to the guards, the man said that he was waiting on his girlfriend and had engaged them in a friendly discourse for more than an hour.

A woman who was sitting between the Digicel store and the security hut said she had noticed the man and as she went into the shop which occupied the other half of the bottom flat of the building which housed Digicel, he was walking  in the direction of the Digicel store. “When I come out back I hear he pulled a kerchief over he face and robbed de store,” she recounted. “I am so shocked. It all happened so fast.”

A minibus tout who was on Republic Avenue said he and others became aware of the incident when the security guard raised an alarm that the store had been robbed. “We see de man dart out de store and hurry across de road,” he said, “but it wasn’t till de guard came out and said dah man just rob de store that he start running and ah couple ah man start running after he.”

Stabroek News understands that several persons gave chase but were kept at bay when the bandit brandished his weapon. He opened fire at a taxi driver who insisted on pursuing him and was gaining on him. The bandit ran through Dageraad Avenue, jumped a few fences in Dacama Circle and into Sir David Rose Avenue.

With public-spirited persons still in hot pursuit, he fired another round along the avenue. By that time an armed police officer arrived on the scene and there was an exchange of gunshots before the man jumped into the nearby trench, tearing his jersey in the process and escaping into the densely vegetated area.

Several rounds were fired into the area where he was believed to have been hiding.  Armed police officers, rural constables and civilians circled the area and searched the bushes for some four hours and though shots were heard during that time they eventually emerged empty-handed.

As the news got around, two women, said to be the wife and aunt of the suspect, arrived on the scene. While the aunt remained on the road pleading with him to surrender, the wife bravely crossed a narrow pipe and went into the bushes and called out her husband’s name, pleading with him to surrender. After a while the woman broke down in tears as she held on to the shoulder of a police officer and continued to plead.

After spending approximately 30 minutes calling and pleading the woman came out and was heard saying that she did not believe it was her husband who was involved in the robbery. She said her husband was a Christian and had no reason to commit the act; though she admitted that they were experiencing some financial constraints.

The aunt said that she last saw her nephew at bible studies at the Fruits of Calvary Assemblies of God Church on Tuesday. She also confirmed that he had been employed with Linmine and was dismissed over a month ago. Sources said that he was allegedly involved in a racket to sell scrap iron from the defunct aluminium plant.

During his tenure as a constable the suspect was stationed as a guard at the Digicel store.

Persons expressed concern about the lack of protective gear for police officers. The rural constables were all clothed in bullet-proof vests while police had none.