Beetham bandits chase 2 men to death

TWO men fleeing suspected Beetham bandits on Friday night were both knocked down and killed when they ran into the path of a white Mario’s Toyota Maintenance pick-up van and a black Mitsubishi Gallant.

One incident occurred on the Beetham Highway, the other on the Eastern Main Road, Laventille in what police have described as a bizarre coincidence. The dead men have been identified as Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) retiree Frankie Dennis, 64, of Eastern Quarry, Laventille, and St James infirmary worker Sheldon Patrice, 36, of Twelfth Street, Barataria. In the Eastern Main Road accident,  police said Curtis Sheldon Rocke, of Barataria, told officers that around 8.03pm, he was driving the Mario’s pick-up in an easterly direction on the right lane on the Eastern Main Road near the old Rum Bond building. Rocke said he glanced a shadow, which stepped down from the median, and ran into the side of his pick-up van.  He said he swerved to avoid contact, but that it was too late. Dennis’ cousin Rosemarie Honore told Sunday Newsday that eyewitnesses informed relatives the elderly man, father of seven, was being chased and stoned by people from the Beetham from where he was coming. Honore also said that both of Dennis’ pockets were empty, which is unusual as he always carried money, having received his monthly benefit last month end.

In the Beetham Highway accident, police said Easa Ali, told them that around 11.10pm Friday, he was driving his black Mitsubishi Gallant east along the right lane on the east bound carriageway on the Beetham Highway. On reaching near to  a tyre shop, Ali said that Patrice ran across the path of his vehicle from the left side of the road. Ali told police, he applied brakes to avoid colliding with Patrice, but the left side of his vehicle collided with Patrice. Ali brought his vehicle to a halt and police said he tried to render assistance to the man, but he got no response from Patrice, who was clad in a three quarter jeans, but was bareback and wore no shoes. He was lying on his back. Traffic Branch police said eyewitnesses told them that they heard two gunshots before Patrice was seen running away from his Nissan Sentra vehicle near to WASA. It is believed that he picked up passengers from Port-of-Spain to go to San Juan, when on reaching the Beetham Highway, they attempted to rob him. His vehicle was found idling near the scene with the keys in the ignition and his cellphone intact. Patrice’s attackers are believed to have fled the scene during the commotion with the accident.

While they are aware of both robbery theories, Traffic Branch sources told Sunday Newsday they have not yet received an official report from any eyewitness. At Patrice’s relatives home at Poinsettia Drive, Coconut Drive, Morvant, his mother Judith Patrice said her son normally worked the Port-of-Spain/San Juan route. “He did not deserve to die like that.  What is this place coming to?  They chased him to his death.  It is time a bomb is dropped in the Beetham,” the grieving woman said. She added that he wanted to go to the Point Fortin Borough Day celebrations. Patrice’s common-law-wife, San-dra Glynn said she last saw him at about 8.55pm Friday, when he told her he was going out to come back. At Dennis’ Eastern Quarry home, Honore, who identified her cousin’s body, said he celebrated his 64th birthday last Sunday. She said she could not say what he was doing coming from the Beetham. In both instances a Traffic Branch police party under Cpl Victor and including PCs Forteau, Nancoo and photographer PC Grant visited the scene and conducted investigations. Post mortems performed yesterday revealed both Dennis and Patrice died from head injuries. Cpl Victor is continuing investigations in both accidents.