St Helena businessman kidnapped, shot during high speed chase

A 33-year-old St Helena businessman is receiving emergency surgery after he was shot while being driven by kidnappers on Sunday morning.

Police said the man was at his car-care business place on the El Carmen Main Road, at 10.50 am, when a black Nissan Sylphy drove into the yard and four masked men in black clothing got out.

The men forced the businessman into the back seat and drove off with him.

Co-workers saw the kidnapping and called the police.

Officers from the Northern Division, who were on patrol on the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway near the Mausica traffic lights, saw the car trying to turn onto the westbound lane.

Police chased the car into Mausica and were shot at by the kidnappers.

The officers also returned fire.

The kidnappers drove onto Ridgeland Park, off the Arima Old Road, but crashed into a gate and post of a building.

They got out of the car and ran in different directions down a nearby hill.

Police on checking the car found the businessman bleeding from gunshot wounds. He was taken to the Arima Hospital and was transferred to another hospital where was said to be in a critical but stable condition up to late Sunday.

Investigators found a magazine and several rounds of 5.56 mm ammunition in the abandoned car.

A team of police from the Northern Division Task Force, the Arima police station and the Northern Division Emergency Response Patrol visited the area and searched for the men in a forested area nearby.

A second team of police stayed with the car before it was towed.

Newsday visited Ridgeland Park on Sunday as a handful of residents looked at a line of police cars that packed their street.

Officers searched the bushes nearby with help from the air support unit.

Police suspect the kidnappers were not from the area and turned onto the street believing it would take them to another side road, not knowing it was a dead end.

Several residents said they did not know what happened and only remembered hearing a loud crash.

"We didn't hear any gunshots or anything like that.

"All we heard was a bang and when we peeped outside, we saw the police so we thought it was an accident.

"Up to now we still not sure what happened."

Another man said he heard reports of a robbery but was not sure if it was true.

Passers by on the Arima Old Road slowed down their cars to look at the police as they cordoned off the scene before going about their way.

The chase ended not far from where 41-year-old Dawn Teshera McKenna, her son Jordan McKenna, 19, and family friend Jeremiah Assing, 18, were gunned down on July 2021.

One man said while reports of crime in the area were few and far between, they were not unheard of.

"It's sad but there are a few isolated incidents like these.

"We have heard of things from time to time but it's not overbearing like in some other areas."

Arima police are continuing enquiries.