Officials at Avon headquarters on Camp Street believe that the perpetrators of Wednesday’s mid afternoon armed robbery were watching the comings and goings at the location before they struck.
The three men who were nabbed minutes later by police remained in custody and Stabroek News understands that they will be appearing before the court today.
Yesterday it was business as usual when this newspaper arrived and according to Finance Manager Melissa Mars-Toney, the police must be congratulated for their quick response which led to the capture of the perpetrators in the West La Penitence area.
“The police response was overwhelming and we are extremely grateful to them. They were very cooperative…,” she said adding that it is hoped that the police would respond just as swiftly to reports of similar incidents.
The manager said the company is also grateful to God that none of the three employees who were held at gunpoint was physically harmed. According to Mars-Toney, the employees have recovered from the traumatic experience.
Explaining what transpired on Wednesday, Mars-Toney said three male staff members were heading to a vehicle which was parked across the road from the entrance. They were going to deposit $1.3 million at a city bank.
She told this newspaper that one of the employees, Donald Joseph, was holding the bag which contained an envelope with the money. She said they were almost at the car when two men ran up. According to the manager, one of the men pointed a gun at Joseph’s head and instructed him to pass the bag he was holding.
Without hesitation the bag was handed over and the two bandits began running in the direction of Lamaha Street where there was a car waiting for them.
According to Mars-Toney, the employees ran behind the fleeing men with the intention of seeing how they were escaping and were able to see the licence plate of the car that they drove off in.
This information she said was immediately given to her and subsequently the police.
Luckily, a plain clothes policeman was nearby and he assisted by following the men, she said adding that while later giving police a statement, they were informed that the suspects were nabbed.
Asked about the movements of the bandits, Mars-Toney said while they could have received information about the money she believed they were watching the location.
She explained that lots of persons visit the location to transact business.
She said prior to the incident no suspicious persons were seen lurking around the area.
In the light of the incident, she added, security has been boosted and several measures have been put in place to prevent a recurrence.
Police had said that the robbery occurred around 12:50 hrs and that the police anti crime and other patrols were quickly informed of the incident through the radio network and subsequently ranks of a TSU anti-crime patrol intercepted the getaway car on Cemetery Road, Georgetown.
Further enquiries led to the arrest of two other suspects in a house at Walker Terrace, West La Penitence, where an unlicensed 9 mm pistol with 16 matching rounds and $1 million were recovered by the police. One of the men resides at that address.
