Bandit held in San Juan while trying to rob undercover police

A bandit was arrested after he tried to hold up two men who turned out to be police officers sitting in an unmarked police car.

The officers were providing surveillance assistance during a police operation in the San Juan area on Wednesday night when two men walked up to the car, with one of them pointing a gun at them.

One of the officers got out of the car shouting, “Police! Police! Drop the gun!”

The man pointed his gun towards that officer, who fired a shot from his TTPS pistol. The bandits turned and ran off with the police in hot pursuit.

With the help of other officers, a suspect was held in a bushy area a short distance away. The 23-year-old San Juan man is facing charges of possession of a firearm and two rounds of ammunition. The other suspect who ran off into a nearby forested area, remains at large.

In an unrelated incident, police held a man whose attempt at robbery was foiled when his victim shot him.

At around 12.10 am on Thursday, the owner of Cooking Vibes Lounge on Carlos Street, Port of Spain, left his businessplace and walked a short distance away with several of his employees.

When he returned, three men accosted him outside the bar and tried to rob him, leading to an altercation. The owner pulled out his licensed gun and shot at the men, one of whom was shot in the leg, while the others ran off.

Officers from the nearby Woodbrook Police Station responded and took the injured man to Port of Spain General Hospital, where he had surgery. He remains warded under police guard.

Also in Port of Spain, in yet another incident, two men were held after a man was robbed while with his family at the food court in the Queen’s Park Savannah on Tuesday night.

The victim, 43, was with his wife and three children when a man walked up, grabbed his right hand and said, “Doh make a scene.”

The man then removed a gold bracelet from the victim’s arm before running off and getting into a silver-coloured Nissan B15 parked nearby.

The victim alerted police and officers on patrol along Dundonald Street spotted and chased the car.

It was intercepted at Independence Square and the driver held. The car was searched but nothing found.

Minutes later, officers on patrol saw a man fitting the description of the suspect near the Grand Stand in the Savannah. He was arrested. Both men are assisting police in their investigations.