One suspect was shot and two others arrested following a robbery at a supermarket in?Reform Village on?Friday. Police said security officer Mark Baird was on duty at Jai Jai Supermarket at around 4 pm when three men armed with two guns and a knife entered the supermarket and announced a hold-up.
Baird fired at the robbers who returned fire. One of them was shot in the face. Police said while the shooting continued one of the men began robbing people. Juan Xiong Wou, the cashier, was robbed of $5,800 while customer Eileen Ramjattan was robbed of her handbag containing more than $800 in cash and her husband Harrinath Ramjattan of his $1,000 gold chain.
The men then used customers as human shields as they ran out of supermarket. They released their hostages before running into the bushes. Arriving within minutes, ASP?Gaffar,?Sgt Manwarrin, Sgt Nobiie and other officers of the Task Force Operation?Unit and CID, pursued the robbers into the bushes where there was another exchange of gunfire.
The police eventually held all three and recovered $5,800 in cash and a 12-gauge shot gun. The suspects are all from Princes Town. The robber who was shot in his face, aged 25, was warded in a stable condition under police guard at the San Fernando General Hospital.
His accomplices, ages 38 and 22, are expected to be placed on identification parades before being charged. Police officers praised the security guard for his bravery. The guard fired 17 rounds, police said. Sgt Hajarie and PC Lezama of the Gasparillo CID are investigating.