7 held in ‘Second Strike’ swoopdown on Maloney

OPERATION “Second Strike” continued early yesterday morning, taking down seven people, among them a man believed to be responsible for the shooting deaths of Maloney teenagers Dane Mitchell and Dayon Reyes, who were killed on the night of June 10 at Piarco Old Road, Red Hill, D’Abadie. Police sources said around 1am yesterday a party of officers headed by Supt Errol Denoon, and including ASP Alfred Sealy, Insp Clive Brereton, Insp Manechand Ramnarine and members of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force went to the Maloney plannings and arrested the seven. The arrests of the seven during the exercise which ended at 5am, police said, was based on intelligence gathering by members of Operation Second Strike, which is under the Interagency Task Force. The suspect in the double killings had not been charged up to late evening, and police said a “confrontation” is supposed to be done, whereby the suspect must be verified by people who claim to know him.

Senior officers said because of the absence of such a “confrontation,” a woman was recently released from police custody for allegedly stabbing a teenaged boy to death. Mitchell and Reyes, both 18, of Maloney, were on their way home when they were reportedly confronted by a man, who appeared to be waiting for them on the Piarco Old Road. One of the seven suspects, whose ages range between 20 and 28, is also believed to be responsible for robbing Special Branch officer, PC Montrichard of his service revolver and a quantity of cash on the night of June 13. The robbery took place at Ojah’s Bicycle shop in Tunapuna.  The officer was reportedly confronted by two armed men who announced a hold-up.  They also relieved the bicycle shop of a quantity of cash. The other five were held on outstanding warrants and robberies in the Curepe and St Joseph areas. Yesterday, the Task Force Public Affairs Office sent out a release stating that the arrests of the seven people followed recent success of the seizure of three handguns.