Man held over East Coast supermarket robbery, police in shootout with suspects
A Leopold Street man has been held following the robbery of an East Coast Demerara supermarket on Friday which saw police in a shootout with two suspects on a motorbike.
In a statement yesterday, the police said that they are investigating the robbery on the proprietors of Hong Yuang Supermarket on the East Coast of Demerara, which occurred between 16:52 and 17:00 hrs on Friday by two men, one of whom was armed with a knife and the other a handgun. Both suspects were wearing surgical masks with hoodies over their heads (one had on a grey hoodie, and the other a black hoodie).
They carted off a quantity of GTT cell phone cards and two Samsung cell phones belonging to the proprietors.
The security guard at the supermarket, an employee of Omkar Persaud Security Service, told the Police that at around 16:52 hrs on Friday, he was on duty when the suspects arrived at the supermarket on a motorcycle with registration number CL 5553 and stopped in front of the supermarket.
Both suspects came off the motorcycle and entered the supermarket, proceeded to the cashier areas where they took an undisclosed sum of cash and phone cards. One of the suspects robbed the proprietor of the mentioned cell phones. Thereafter, the suspects exited the supermarket and escaped on the motorcycle.
The area was canvassed for CCTV cameras, and several were seen affixed to the supermarket. These were examined, and footage that captured the ordeal was extracted.
At about 16:59 hrs, the police said that someone called the Vigilance Police Station and reported the matter. As a result, a police patrol responded promptly, and while proceeding west along the Lusignan Prison Road, East Coast Demerara, the suspects were spotted on the motorcycle, proceeding north on a red motorcycle bearing the same registration number CL 5553.
The ranks gave chase, and while in pursuit, one of the suspects (pillion rider) discharged several rounds in the direction of the ranks, who returned fire in their direction.
During the chase at Felicity, Railway Embankment, East Coast Demerara, the suspects lost control of the motorcycle and fell in a nearby trench. Both suspects got up, abandoned the motorcycle, and began running and jumping several fences headed north into a bushy area. The ranks gave chase behind them but they managed to escape.
Police searched the area where they fell, and one 9mm pistol, one magazine with six live matching rounds and one round in the chamber, one Samsung cellphone, one black side bag containing a quantity of twenty dollar bills totalling $1,240 and one knife were found on the ground, about one foot away from the motorcycle.
At around 22:25 hrs on Friday, acting on information received, Police arrested a 20-year-old unemployed resident of Leopold Street, Georgetown, who fitted the description of one of the suspects. He was told of the allegation, cautioned, arrested, and taken to Vigilance Police Station, where he was placed into custody to assist with the investigation.
Police also interviewed the security guard since the CCTV revealed that he was “casual” with one of the suspects, the release said. Investigations are ongoing.