Two suspects captured, a third on the run ~
MARIGOT–Goldfinger jewellery store on Rue de La République was victim of an armed robbery Wednesday morning when three thieves entered the store and held employees at gun point before smashing showcases and stealing jewellery. The manager of the store was taken hostage but later released unharmed.
A very quick response from Gendarmes, however, resulted in two of the suspects being caught, albeit after a shoot-out with the robbers, and stolen jewellery was recovered. A third suspect got away disappearing in the direction of Fort Louis.
Commandant Paul Betaille confirmed last night that the two suspects in custody are Venezuelans while the nationality of the third has not yet been determined.
“These were hardened criminals and very determined,” he said. “Despite the manpower we had on the ground the third suspect got away on foot and we are actively looking for him.”
It is thought that the thieves were granted entry through the double security doors of the store because they were dressed as genuine shoppers and did not have their faces covered.
Events unfolded at 10:50am when the thieves entered the store but were quickly challenged by Gendarmes while in the act of the robbery. Shots were fired by the robbers inside the store but no one was injured. In the exchange, the interior glass security door shattered from a bullet fired by one of the suspect’s guns, the glass slightly injuring a Gendarme in the face.
The suspects exited the store, taking the manager with them as hostage. Witnesses said his hands were bound and a gun was pointed at his head. Shots were fired at Gendarmes as the suspects attempted to escape with a bag of stolen watches and jewellery in the direction of West Indies Mall and Fort Louis Marina.
Cell phone video from a witness showed a man in a blue shirt running with a limp towards Fort Louis Marina restaurant, firing shots, while a man dressed in black running behind with a black garbage bag, supposedly containing the jewellery, suddenly stops and leaves the bag on the ground before continuing.
The two men were arrested in the proximity of the marina but a third suspect managed to escape. At some point the hostage was released but details of that were not clear. One witness said the suspects attempted to get away in a car opposite the marina, pulling the unsuspecting owner out and throwing him to the ground, but this was not confirmed by the Gendarmerie.
Commandant Betaille confirmed nine shots were fired at Gendarmes outside as the thieves attempted to escape and at the time of the arrests Gendarmes fired five shots.
“No Gendarmes were injured (except for the one mentioned earlier), neither were the suspects, employees of the shop, the hostage, or members of the public hurt in the shooting,” he said. “Two suspects are now in custody and the stolen jewellery was recovered.”
Many shoppers on the street thought a movie was being filmed as the drama unfolded and tourists found they were prevented from walking past the crime scene. One shop owner on the street said the same suspects had entered his shop earlier and spoke Spanish.
“They came in to look around, two were quite well dressed and flashy, another was chubby, and they had shopping bags,” he said. “I tried to speak to them and they replied ‘no habla Ingles.'”
An employee from Goldfinger declined later to talk about the incident while the investigation is in progress. The owner of Goldfinger was not at the store at the time and making his report to the Gendarmerie.