Bandits killed after robbery

Wounded accomplice tries to outsmart cops

By

Leonard Gildarie

(Additional information provided by Michael Jordan)

Two bandits were shot dead and millions of dollars in local and foreign currencies taken from a Georgetown cambio yesterday in a robbery that went all wrong.

Police also arrested two persons, one of them a minor of about 14, and the other a deportee from the United States who resides at Grove, East Bank Demerara, who was shot by the police in his escape bid.

Dead is Michael Witter, 39, of Agricola; and Lawrence Mayers, 38, of North Ruimveldt Housing Scheme. Witter was said to have been shot in the chest and shoulder. Police say they recovered an unlicensed .32 Taurus revolver with one live round and a spent shell along with four gold rings from his body. Mayers was shot in the head.

.32 Taurus revolver

Sylvester Chan, 39, the deportee from the US who was shot in his leg, is said to be facing a matter before the courts for arms and ammunition.

He was arrested by an alert policeman who saw him running from the empty lot near the cambio shouting, “They in deh,” a reference to the bandits. But the policeman grabbed him and forced him to the ground.

When ranks searched him they noticed that he was wounded in the leg.

Kaieteur News understands that the arrested teenager may have served as a lookout for the robbery. He has had had previous brushes with the law.

Staff members of the cambio said that, prior to the robbery, the teenager was ejected from the office after he was seen lurking around. Police held onto the teenager after he was seen within the huge crowd that had gathered on Main Street . Police did not indicate yesterday whether any of the stolen money was recovered.

Attack

It was all high drama at Main and Carmichael Streets after the gunmen launched the midday attack on the Cambio Royale, owned by King Solomon and located above Travel Span Airlines.

However, the 20-minute ordeal started unravelling when the bandits, holding a female cambio employee hostage, attempted to make their exit through the back door of the cambio down a fire escape.

The three bandits ran headlong into a waiting armed patrol from MMC Security Services, which had been alerted to the robbery in progress. As heavy gunshots rang out, people were seen running helter skelter to seek cover.

Police, in a statement, said that investigations revealed that employee Madelo Scipio was opening a door to an inner office of the business place with the key when she had pushed into the office by two men who were sitting in the customer service area, where other persons were being attended to.

The two, who were both armed with handguns, closed the door and held Scipio and several other employees at gunpoint, placing them to lie on the floor and demanding cash. A bag containing an undisclosed sum of cash was handed over to the bandits.

However, a customs broker attached to the King Solomon's Shipping, who said he was robbed of $80,000 and three gold rings, told Kaieteur News that he was in the office area of the shipping company, located on the second floor, when three men barged into the office. All were armed with handguns.

One of the men was stocky while another was described as fair with plaited hair. None of the men was masked. One of the bandits pressed a gun to the head of the Customs broker ordering him on the floor.

In the office at the time were three other female staff, along with the young daughter of one of the employees.

After securing the area, the bandits turned their attention to their main objective, the next door cambio, which was located in the adjoining office. After several attempts, the invaders managed to kick open the door to the cambio. There, three staffers, all women, were accosted.

The invaders, threatening to shoot the staff, demanded that two locked safes be opened. It was unclear whether the men were able to open the safes, but millions of dollars in local and foreign currencies were taken, staff acknowledged yesterday.

During the robbery, one of the men was constantly on his phone as if he was coordinating the operations with someone outside.

Escape

But things started going downhill for the bandits as alert staff of a nearby business, on hearing the commotion in the office, reportedly informed MMC Security personnel. Armed guards then took up strategic positions in the area, on Carmichael Street , and on Main Street .

Police patrols quickly converged on the area heading to Carmichael Street , with the rest forming a perimeter that included Main and Quamina Streets. The bandits, exiting the back of the building, one of them still holding a cambio staff as shield, reportedly exchanged fire with MMC security personnel who were on the scene.

Abandoning their hostage, the men scaled the northern side fence of the compound and entered the empty lot that once housed the Sacred Heart School and church, which was burnt flat a few years ago.

Police ranks reportedly exchanged gunfire with the bandits, who attempted to use an alleyway to escape. However, two of them, Witter and Mayers, were cornered in the alleyway. The two were killed in the ensuing shootout.

Another of the bandits, Chan, was lucky. He was shot in his foot. He was later whisked away by police.

According to a police statement last evening, the police and a private security service, which has a security arrangement with another establishment in the same building, were informed of the robbery in progress and quickly responded.

However, it is suspected that the two bandits inside were alerted to the arrival of the police by the third suspect.

Long Overdue

Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee, who visited the crime scene, said an operation like this has been long overdue, and he congratulated the police for their swift action.

“They responded very effectively. I must congratulate the leaders of ‘A' Division as well as the good cooperation between citizens and police. It is the kind of cooperation we should have on an ongoing basis.”

According to Rohee, increased cooperation would mean greater success for crime fighters. “The public plays the role of giving whatever support they could, whether it is by intelligence, information, technology, or whatever the case may be.”

The police response came in for high praise yesterday, especially in light of the high number of unsolved robbery attacks being recorded and recent police strategies, one of which saw a Buxtonian woman killed accidentally during a police operation.