DRAMA IN CENTRAL

A KFC manageress was shot in the right leg, two policemen survived a hail of bullets, three officers suffered injuries in a crash, and police were up to late evening still hunting for four bandits who caused all of this. The daytime drama started around 10.55am yesterday when four armed and masked men entered the KFC outlet compound at Montrose. Two of the men jumped a counter inside the restaurant, a third one stood guard at the door, while the fourth man remained in the silver grey Almyra vehicle, in which they came. Police said someone inside the restaurant called the Emergency-999 Command Centre, to which officers, PCs Guelmo and Stephens responded. On reaching, however, police said Guelmo and Stephens were greeted with gunfire and nine shots were registered on the marked police vehicle they were in.  It is now at the Freeport Police Station. Police said the officers returned fire, and the bandits escaped empty handed.  On reaching Carlsen Field, police said the bandits held up Dean Harpman at gunpoint and robbed him of his white Suzuki van, abandoning their vehicle, which was later found and is to be tested for prints, to locate its bonafide owner. During the shootout, KFC manageress Margaret Ballantyne was shot on the right leg.  She was taken to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital (PoSGH), and was said to be stable up to late evening. Another police Cherokee jeep, had joined in the search for the four men.  Cpl Sallick along with PCs Kissoondath and Mohammed were in that vehicle. They continued the chase behind the stolen white van, but lawmen said the Cherokee jeep crashed into an oncoming truck at Palmiste Street, Todds Road, Longdenville.

Officer Mohammed received injuries to his head, neck and arm, Sallick to his face, and Kissoondath had injuries to his foot and chest. They were all treated at the Chaguanas Health Facility and discharged. Following their discharge, police said the three officers, along with Guelmo and Stephens, immediately joined in the search for the four bandits.  For this, they were highly commended by senior officers for their commitment to the job. Sr Supt Philip Carmona, head of the Central Division, along with Insp Gopiecharan and several others from the E-999 and CID also joined in the fruitless search.  Two Amalgamated security officers also responded. At the scene yesterday, KFC employees refused to comment, and there were signs on two entrance doors, stating: “We are closed because of circumstances beyond our control”. There were three bullet holes on the glass to the exit side of the building and the top half of the left glass door to the same entrance had been shattered. A young man from the area said he heard about 20 shots but stayed in his house for fear of being brought down. No arrests had been made up to late evening and Insp Gopiecharan of the Chaguanas Criminal Investigations Department (CID) is continuing investigations.