An armed robbery suspect was on Monday night accidentally stabbed by his accomplice during a raid on a shop owner at Vigilance, East Coast Demerara.
The injured man was later traced by police to a public medical facility.
The identities of the suspects were not released but police said the injured man is currently under police guard.
Police in a press statement yesterday said at around 11:15 pm on Monday, the now-injured suspect and his accomplice went to a grocery operated by a pensioner, Paul Cole. During the robbery, one of the suspects attempted to wound Cole, but missed and instead, injured his partner.
Cole, 66, yesterday recounted the robbery to this newspaper. He explained that as he was in the process of closing his shop he noticed the two men in the vicinity. One, he said, entered the shop and made a request for “$100 of cigarettes” while the other walked past.
“After he asked, I walked to go into the shop but I hear this trotting and turned around and see the man who asked for the cigarettes coming towards me. I was surprised, and by the time I could have done anything he placed his hands around my neck and started to run through my pockets,” the elderly proprietor recounted.
Cole went on to say that after he was restrained by the bandit, his accomplice entered the yard and came up to him. He said the accomplice was armed with a gun, and gun butted him twice during his quest for cash.
“I had about $70,000 in my pocket, and they go away with that. It was from the day sales and money people returned after doing business for me,” he explained.
The shopkeeper further added that he tried to fight off his attackers after realising that there were “no bullets in the gun, because they would have shoot me.” He lamented that as he tried to fight off the men, the accomplice pulled out a short, two-bladed cutlass and tried to stab him. Cole said he managed to swiftly move himself “in time and with the force he stabbed his friend.” Based on the police report he was stabbed to his lower abdomen.
“Like when he stabbed the friend he left in a shock and picked up his bike and escaped, but the other one walked out the yard and headed in the eastern direction. Not long after a car come and pick him up,” Cole explained.
Police in their statement said that the men fled in a silver grey-coloured motor car.
The pensioner said he immediately contacted the police but they arrived sometime after his call. He is of the belief that if police had responded promptly that they could have arrested the injured man in the vicinity of the robbery.
Up to last night, police were still trying to locate the accomplice.
