…on Soesdyke/Linden Highway
The burnt remains of the Tacoma pickup that was hijacked on the Linden/ Soesdyke Highway on Wednesday and believed to have been used to create mayhem in the city, was yesterday discovered at Millie’s Hideout, on the outskirts of Linden, with ammo and explosive material inside.
The vehicle which was originally gold in colour was identified by its owner even though only a blackened shell remained, sources said yesterday.
According to a police press release around 6:30 am ranks recovered the vehicle which was taken away from miner Sean Embleton by a group of heavily armed gunmen after he and two of his employees were held up in the vicinity of Loo Creek along the Soes-dyke/Linden Highway just after midnight on Wednesday.
The vehicle which was used by the armed men during attacks on police stations among other activities including arson was found on a trail leading from Millie’s Hideout which is along the Soesdyke/Linden Highway and had been completely destroyed by fire, the release said.
It added that the police recovered an AK 47 magazine, six rounds of 7.62 x 39 ammunition, seven spent 7.62 x 39 shells, two bottles with a quantity of channa and two thunder squibs from the burnt vehicle.
Sources told Stabroek News that police in Georgetown received information on the whereabouts of the hijacked vehicle and subsequently contacted their colleagues in Linden.
Three ranks from the mining town journeyed to the area and found the torched vehicle on a trail in Millie’s Hide Out. The fire was already extinguished and the remains were hot, this newspaper understands.
While the entire shell was blackened from the inferno, the word Toyota was visibly on its tray. The number plate was also destroyed in the blaze as well as one of the bottles with channa.
The owner of the hijacked vehicle, who lives along the Linden/Soesdyke Highway, was later taken to the scene where he told the ranks that the vehicle was his, sources said.
After collecting the items that were found, the ranks left the area minus the vehicle. Up to late yesterday afternoon when this newspaper visited, it was still there.
The police have positively linked the destroyed vehicle to the attacks on the Brickdam Police Station and the East Ruimveldt Outpost as well as the abduction of the Health Ministry accused and the High Court fire.
Observers are questioning how the police could have positively placed this particular vehicle at the crime scenes and what logical explanation the perpetrators could have for driving it all the way to Georgetown to carry out the attacks and then back to the Linden/Soesdyke Highway.
For the perpetrators to have covered such a distance they would have had to pass through a number of road blocks on the East Bank and along the highway which were set up in wake of the pre-dawn attacks and it was unlikely that it would not have been noticed by the ranks since the police were in possession of the vehicle’s number.
Sources said that the area is secluded and even though the fire would have been big it would have been difficult for those travelling along the highway to see it burning.
Plying
In light of the hijacking which began with the abduction of the vehicle’s three occupants and later the murder of one, taxi drivers and bus operators plying the Linden/Georgetown route have reduced their night travel significantly out of fear.
There has also been a heightened police presence in the mining town and along the highway as police continue to investigate the series of events which occurred during a four-hour period.
A senior police officer has said that as investigations continue they are looking for three city residents who have been identified as being a part of the attacks on the police stations and the fires.
Asked how they could have been identified, the officer only revealed that they were seen by persons committing the acts. It seems that police have so far been able to ascertain the identities of five of the gunmen and even went as far as issuing wanted bulletins for two of them in connection with the mayhem.
Police Commissioner Henry Greene while dubbing the attacks at “terrorist acts” had revealed to the media that Health Ministry arson suspects Kurt Thierens, called ‘Bage’ or ‘Glasses’ and Colin Jones were positively identified as participants by Clayton Westford who was almost killed after being snatched from his home. However yesterday they had not yet been found even though several searches were conducted in Agricola, the East Coast and other areas
Sources told Stabroek News last evening that ballistic results for the test conducted on the shells recovered at the various crime scenes have revealed that the gunmen used three separate firearms and that they were not employed in any recent high profile crimes.
The campaign by the criminals started just after Wednesday midnight and ended just after 0300 hrs. From police reports, the gang comprised at least ten persons, including eight dressed in police attire, which raised alarm yesterday as police moved to intensify their operations.
According to the sequence provided by the police, around 00:15 hours armed men carjacked the three miners, one of whom-Wodette Roberts called ‘Buckman’- died, on the Linden/Soesdyke Highway. The men were handcuffed and duct-taped. Two managed to escape, with one reportedly running all the way to the Kuru Kururu Police Station where he recounted the incident to ranks. Some of the carjackers apparently journeyed to the city in the stolen vehicle.
Around 02:30 hours, three men dressed in dark clothing, armed with firearms and wearing toques, went to the West La Penitence home of Clayton Westford, one of the men charged with the Health Ministry fire. He had been released on bail. The man’s mother Pamela opened the door after the men claimed to be police ranks. They then handcuffed him before taking him away, ending up in the La Penitence Cemetery, according to reports.
There the man was assaulted after claims that “he is talking too much and giving evidence against them.” Westford managed to escape and the men discharged rounds at him but he was not injured.
He was hospitalized and placed under police guard but this newspaper has been told that the man has since been discharged.
Then at about 02:55 hours, three armed men also wearing dark clothing and toques, approached the female RK Security Guard at the High Court in Georgetown and told her not to be alarmed. Sources say that from all indications, this was another group of gunmen.
One of them remained with the guard, while the others went to the Registry and later a fire was seen coming from that area. All three men then left in a gold coloured Tacoma pick-up vehicle which from all appearances was the one taken from the men on the Highway. The Fire Service was summoned and extinguished the fire, Greene said stating that damage was done to some records and a part of the building. A quantity of channa was found in the building.
At 03:00 hrs a group of armed gunmen in the gold coloured Tacoma vehicle proceeded to the Brickdam Police Station where they threw a grenade at a police vehicle driven by Lance Corporal 17830 Cummings, who was about to enter the compound. However, the grenade failed to explode. It is in the custody of the police.
Subsequently, at about 03:15 hours, while Westford’s father, Clifton, was making a report at the East Ruimveldt Outpost in relation to the incident involving his son, the Tacoma pick up along with a white motor car bearing registration number plate PLL 6081 approached and shots were discharged at the station hitting the concrete wall. No one was injured. Two 7.62 x 39 spent shells were found by the police.
Later, at approximately 03:30 hrs person(s) unknown entered the Richard Ishmael Secondary School and set fire to several areas of the building. However, the fire was put out as a result of the quick action by public-spirited citizens and the fire service.
Following the attacks police recovered a white wagon at Houston with three bullet holes on the hood and windscreen.
Residents recalled being awakened to persons identifying themselves as police banging on their doors. One woman said that the persons told them that they were looking for some men. They did not say in connection with what.
No one recalled seeing or hearing any thing suspicious before then and residents were later surprised to hear that a car which was used to create the mayhem in the city was found near their homes.
Though promised there was no evidence of a heightened police presence when this newspaper visited several parts of the city and East Bank yesterday.