Bandits held with $.25M
Twenty-two employees of the Foreshore branch of Pricesmart were held hostage for more than an hour on Thursday night, as two bandits armed with a gun and cutlass stormed into the businessplace, announced a hold-up and ordered everyone to lie on the ground. No one was allowed to enter or leave, and the employees were deemed hostages. A third bandit who was hiding in the bakery area proceeded to rob employees of cell phones, cash, jewelry and other valuables. They then ordered manager Clyde Gokool to open a vault which contained more than $250,000 in cash. The cash, made up mostly of hundred dollar bills, was stashed into a bag. An employee who was able to use his cell phone while the robbery was in progress, dialled 999, causing officers of the Inter-Agency Task Force, the Western Task Force, and other officers to respond. Officers all armed and wearing bulletproof vests surrounded the business place and made a dramatic entry into Pricesmart. They were greeted by the sight of employees lying on the floor and the three bandits putting DVDs and other electronic equipment into bags. The three bandits were outnumbered by the large contingent of police officers, who promptly arrested the suspects and seized a gun and cutlass. One bandit was kicked in the chest when he attempted to escape. The surprised suspects were taken to the St James Police Station where they were detained up to late yesterday. All of the stolen money was recovered. The suspects from Laventille, Arima, and Tunapuna, who are all in their 20s, are expected to appear before a Port-of-Spain magistrate on Monday. Police sources revealed that one of the suspects is a former Pricesmart employee. Investigators also believe that the suspects were assisted in gaining entry to Pricesmart with the assistance of a female employee who was quizzed by investigators yesterday. When Newsday visited Pricesmart yesterday, the business place was buzzing with activities. Employees who were held hostages were prevented from being interviewed. One employee said that it took the police eight minutes to respond and everyone was terrified. However, Newsday learnt that management at Pricesmart is expected to beef-up security as a result of the robbery/hostage drama on Thursday. Police officers whose prompt actions foiled the robbery were commended by senior officers yesterday. Employees who were shaken up by the hostage drama are expected to be counselled. Pricesmart pleased with cops in robbery Price smart and the management of Movie Towne yesterday expressed its admiration and appreciation for the level of professionalism and efficiency displayed by the police and army in foiling the robbery at Pricesmart. In a release sent late yesterday by Ross Advertising, the stringent security measures and technological systems adopted by Movie Towne to ensure the safety of the environment proved highly effective during the foiled robbery. According to the release, the police asked patrons at Movie Towne to remain inside the building for 15 minutes as a security precaution, while the area was secured.
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"Bandits held with $.25M"