A shoot-out with the police on Tuesday night ended with a bandit jumping into a trench in the Diamond Housing Scheme and being caught.
According to a police press release, around 9PM on Tuesday, in Diamond Housing Scheme, Zaheer Khaleel, was held up by a man, who had hired him, and an accomplice. The perpetrators escaped with his cellular phone and $10,000.
The police responded to a report and confronted the suspects somewhere else in the Housing Scheme during which there was an exchange of gunfire which resulted in one of the suspects being caught and the phone recovered.
Khaleel, 32, of 406 Section ‘C’ Block ‘Y’ Golden Grove, explained to this newspaper that around 8:45PM, he was at his base, waiting when a `customer’ approached him. “As he come he seh he gat to get a taxi and so I seh is me turn so I carry he to me car and ask where he going. He seh fifth avenue,” Khaleel said, stating that the person instructed him to turn left at the first corner and stop at the third house.
“When we were going we were gyaffing and he seh he going and watchman the house cause it got thing inside but to me it was a lonely spot. When we reach we stop by the house and he start to check his pockets for money. Next thing you know he said he aint got no money and he forget it [money] and his phone home,” Khaleel further said.
“At that point a car pulled up at the street head and a next banna come out. So when this banna come out now he [person in the car] seh hold on pardner look mi fren come deh and he gone give you money,” Khaleel said, describing a “chubbyish banna wearing an orange or red jersey and a white three quarter pants”. He said the second person then reached into his pocket, at this point he thought he was about to be paid but was astonished when he saw a gun instead of the money. He said the second man then rushed to his window, pulled the door open and forced the gun to his ribs. He said the first man moved the gear stick and placed it in park and proceeded to search him and his car. They managed to escape with his cellular phone and $10,000 cash.
Khaleel said that he immediately radioed the base and a car that was nearby picked him up and they proceeded to search for the perpetrators. He said the two men ran along the main road towards the bridge that leads into the Golden Grove area. He pursued the two men and was joined by several other cars from the base.
“When we reach at the back at the trench that divides Kaneville and the scheme [Grove], a resident seh they deh in a yard and he show we the yard but we couldn’t go close cause they had a gun. We drive around and focus we light on the street so we could see them if they tried to escape,” Khaleel said, stating that the police arrived some 5-10 minutes later and took over.
Khaleel said they spotted them trying to escape via a bridge and the chase ensued with the police now involved. One of men fired about 2-3 shots towards the police officers. The police returned several shots after which one of the assailants jumped into a trench and was apprehended.
Khaleel said that the man who was arrested and taken to the police station was the “chubby” person who came second.
He also said that while at the police station, the man tried to explain to the police that it wasn’t him and that he was just walking over the bridge when someone passed and pushed him down. The police subsequently searched him and recovered Khaleel’s phone.
The man is still in custody, assisting with investigations and is expected to appear at the Providence Magistrate’s court today.
