Bandit dies after stolen SUV crashes near Grand Bazaar

POLICE are trying to identify a bandit who died after crashing a stolen SUV near Grand Bazaar on Monday night.

Police said the owner of the Honda Vezel was driving with family members on 10th Street, Casselton Avenue in Trincity, at around 8.25 pm when two men confronted them, one of whom had a gun.

The man and his family got out of the car and handed over the car keys to the bandits, who commandeered the Vezel and drove off.

The man called the police and officers of the Northern Division Operations Command Centre co-ordinated an exercise to intercept the bandits.

Police from the Tunapuna Municipal Police later saw the SUV heading east on the Churchill Roosevelt Highway and chased it. The SUV crashed into a barrier off the highway near the entrance to Grand Bazaar.

The two bandits were badly injured in the crash. They were taken to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex by ambulance, but one was declared dead at around 9.50 pm. The other man was treated and is warded in stable condition under a police guard.

The stolen car was towed to the Arouca police station for analysis by crime scene investigators.

Investigators found a Heckler and Koch pistol with 13 rounds of ammunition in the SUV. Police from the North Central Division are continuing enquiries.

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