Suspect in Palmiste home invasion wounded

One of five men who broke into a house in Palmiste, on the outskirts of San Fernando, early on Wednesday and beat an elderly woman has been hospitalised. Another victim, a policeman, shot him during a confrontation.

The police also recovered one of the intruders' guns.

Up to midday on Wednesday, the search was ongoing for the four other suspects, said to be from Aranguez.

Reports are at around 2.45 am, five men used tools like pigfoot and bolt-cutters to break the lock on a door and get into the house at Block Four.

They repeatedly hit a 73-year-old woman as well as a male relative, a police constable in his 20s.

Another male relative, who is a police sergeant, was alerted by the commotion and came face to face with the armed intruders, who claimed to be policemen. One of the intruders shot at the sergeant.

He returned fire, hitting one of the suspects, a 20-year-old man from Aranguez.

The suspect's accomplices ran out of the house empty-handed, got into a black Aqua car and drove off.

Newsday was told the men had been driving around the area, targeting homes they believed might contain valuables.

The men did not get a chance to rob other houses after the shooting.

Southern Division police are investigating.