Police last evening were looking for a man who shot at two reporters who chased him through several city streets after witnessing him robbing a US citizen at gunpoint.
The reporters were unhurt, while the robbery victim was gun butted to the head. Though police were provided with the necessary information, the gunman managed to elude capture. When contacted, ‘A’ Division commander Clifton Hicken said the matter is still being investigated and efforts are being made to track down the car that transported the gunman.
Recounting their ordeal, the reporters, Iva Wharton and Kurt Campbell, told Stabroek News that around noon while in the vicinity of the St George’s Cathedral, they witnessed a man, who was later identified as Steve Smith, being robbed at gunpoint. They said before they could have made an attempt to videotape what was happening, the gunman jumped into a waiting yellow taxi, which sped off up Carmichael Street.
The two reporters, who were travelling in a vehicle at the time, decided to give chase. The chase took them through several streets located in Alberttown and Queenstown.
Stabroek News was told that while turning from Oronoque Street onto Crown Street (Queenstown), the taxi stopped and the gunman exited. “We saw the guy jump out the car and (he) fired a shot in our direction,” Wharton recounted.
The man then returned to the backseat of the yellow taxi which sped off along Oronoque Street and turned into Anira Street.
“All the time we were on the phone with Commander Hicken relating what was happening and where we were going. We followed them another two corners and the police caught up with us and they continue the search for the car,” Wharton said.
Both reporters said the ordeal left them rattled. “It was terrifying. It was a near death experience,” Wharton said.
“It was a near death experience but at the time I did not see the danger in it. It was only after the gun was pulled out,” Campbell added. He said up to the point of being fired at: “I felt I was doing a good deed…my reporting instinct kicked in.”
Meanwhile, Smith related that he was heading to the Church Street outlet of the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph company to pay a bill when he was attacked. “When I came across the street, the car cut in front of me and I didn’t know what they were doing so I stopped and they stopped right in front of me…a gunman from the back seat came out,” he related.
Smith said the gunman attempted to grab a bag which had some money inside. “When I resisted, they hit me in the head with the gun and when I realise that he was gonna persist I threw the bag and he collected the bag and then took off,” he said. Smith related that the only other person in the car was the driver.
Smith came to Guyana from the United States 15 years ago and has been living here since without incident. “I have never had a problem until today…but it happens,” he said.
Meanwhile, Hicken commended the reporters for their bravery and assistance. He said though it was a dangerous situation, the reporters did “a wise thing.” According to Hicken, very often this is how the police manage to capture criminals; with the help of the public.
He related that the reporters were in constant contact with him and when the police caught up with them, the gunman “narrowly escaped.”
