Valley man held for La Brea robbery

Detectives from the South Western Division have detained a 37-year-old Petit Valley man for Sunday’s armed robbery at a Chinese supermarket in La Brea.

Up to Tuesday, the suspect, who was staying in Guapo, remained in police custody.

Cpl Thompson, PCs Seepersad and Andrews and WPC Homer are investigating. At Welcome Supermarket at Majuba Road, two men casually walked past a security guard who was sittingon empty beer cases at the entrances. One had a gun and the other a knapsack. The gunman went to the cashier, a Chinese national, and the other stood facing the guard.

The gunman emptied the cash register and both walked away with cash. Once charged, the suspect will face a Point Fortin magistrate.

The guard, who appeared to be unarmed in vieo footage circulating on social media, remained sitting during the robbery.

Social media users have mixed views about his reaction or lack of one. Some praised him for his calm demeanour, saying had he reacted, he might have been shot and killed.

One social media user said, “What can an unarmed officer do when an armed man walks in to rob a place?”

Others said he should have tackled the robbers.

“That guard needs to be guarded.”