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.

A ROBBERY victim overpowered one of his assailants, took away a shotgun, struck one of the bandits then contacted the police, who a short while after, held two thieves.

Police reports are that around 9.30pm Friday, Russel Fernandez, 31, was plying his taxi from Sangre Grande to Manzanilla. Fernandez is reported to have picked up five passengers. He dropped off three in various locations.  Two of the passengers, both males, remained seated in the backseat of Fernandez’s vehicle. One of the two men held up Fernandez  with a homemade shotgun.  They then took him out of his vehicle. One of the bandits held him at gunpoint, while the other stripped his car of various electronic items.  Fernandez was also robbed of $390. Police said Fernandez managed to overpower the armed man who was holding him, after which he took away the weapon, and struck the bandit.

Fernandez began to run and while running threw away the shotgun into some bushes.  He then contacted the Sangre Grande Criminal Investigations Depa-rtment (CID). A short while after, police said a party of officers headed by Cpl Christopher Fuentes and including PCs Nicholas Vialva, Ramesh Soodeen and Harry Sookdeo visited the scene and conducted investigations. Police said the officers received information and headed for a house at Cemetery Street, Manzanilla, where they found two 27-year-old men, one from Bon Air, the other from Foster Road, Sangre Grande. The men were positively identified by Fernandez and were later taken to the Sangre Grande Station. All of the stolen items were recovered. Police said they are to be charged with a number of incidents.

IN OBVIOUS pain, West Indies cricket captain Brian Lara led by example yesterday, leaving his sick bed in a futile attempt to revive sagging Caribbean spirits at Kensington Oval in Barbados.

His body racked by the discomfort of suspected chicken pox, the dapper Trinidadian batsman answered the call of his dying middle order batting line-up as Australia threatened to roll over the Caribbean cricketers in the Third Cable and Wirelss Test match. It was a true measure of the double world record holder’s courage and commitment as he defied the high fever, headache and nausea to face up to the rampant Aussie bowlers who, after setting up a massive first innings score of 605 for nine wickets declared, are eyeing their third consecutive victory of the series.

Lara had remained in his room at the Accra Beach Hotel for most the day but kept in touch with the situation at Kensington. Sensing he might be needed in the middle, he arrived shortly after lunch at the ground in great pain. Nursing a terrible headache, he rested in the players’ pavilion while his teammates were fighting it out in the middle. However, after the tea interval, Kensington Oval erupted in applause as he emerged from the pavilion, and in his distinctive manner looked at the heavens allowing his eyes to adjust to the brilliant Bajan sinshine. With the West Indies already six wickets down for just 254, needing 405 to avoid the follow-on, Lara found himself at the crease in a now familiar position of “Miracle Man”.

Together with young wicket keeper Carlton Baugh, he took the score to 276 when his struggle ended in most questionable circumstances, given out leg before wicket to the bowling of Andy Bichel. However, televisions replays clearly showed the star batsman played the ball as he immediately indicated to umpire S Venkataragavan. He cut a dejected and disappointed picture as he walked off the field after compiling 14 runs off  58 balls. Efforts to contact the 34-year-old proved futile as he was resting at the hotel and not entertaining any calls.

A source close to the West Indies team said yesterday that Lara will continue to receive treatment today and will not be at the Oval to bat unless his presence can save the West Indies. “He is very tired and is feeling tremendous pain. He is suffering a terrible headache and if the condition deteriorates then he will be out of the match.” This could also spell the end of the series for him as he would require at least two weeks to recover fully. The fourth and final Test begins at the St John’s Recreation Ground in Antigua on May 9. After the First Test in Guyana, fast bowler Jermaine Lawson was struck down by chicken pox  and missed the Second Test at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain.

One day after Medical Chief of Staff Dr Austin Trinidade gave in to orders to go on 226 days compensatory leave, Dr Anand Chattorgoon has been asked to act in the post. Dr Chattorgoon told Sunday Newsday that he was contacted by Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary Hamid O’Brien yesterday, to hold the post over the weekend. The Acting Medical Chief of Staff said that he was told he would be instructed further pending a meeting between O’Brien and Trinidade tomorrow.

Chattorgoon commented: “I’ll do the best I can. This hasn’t come as a total surprise. I don’t know for how long this will be, but I will take it one step at a time and see how it goes.” Only last month, Chattorgoon had acted for three weeks when Trinidade was on vacation. Trinidade returned last week, only to be asked on Wednesday to go on long leave. Trinidade had initially refused to heed the order by the Ministry, but on Friday gave in to the instructions. During the three weeks when Chattorgoon was Acting Medical Chief of Staff, he chided doctors on their sick-out action which plunged the health sector into crisis. Chattorgoon took a firm stand against the doctors, particularly on the issue of their sick-out leave and the irregularity of their sick leave without justification.

He called on the Ministry to intervene in the crisis by taking legal action against the doctors to prevent them from taking sick-leave repeatedly. Trinidade, on the other hand, claimed that he was not supporting the doctors nor condemning the action. However, there was the perception that he was sympathetic to the doctors’ cause. It is expected that Chattorgoon’s appointment would be a permanent one as Medical Chief of Staff. In 1994, Trinidade was appointed to act in the post, and was confirmed as Medical Chief of Staff in 2000. On Monday, Trinidade and another doctor, Charlie Bridgelal, were the subject of a lawsuit brought against them by Chattorgoon. Justice Joseph Tam presiding in the San Fernando First Civil Court ordered Trinidade and Bridgelal to pay legal costs in an action which Chattorgoon sued against Trinidade’s decision not to appoint him (Chattorgoon) as head of the department of Anaesthetics. Trinidade had instead appointed Bridgelal to the post.