By Tamara King, Freelance WriterSAVANNA-LA-MAR, Westmoreland :
A POLICEMAN attached to the Darliston Police Station in Westmoreland, was shot and injured on Tuesday while on duty in the Sav-la-mar area with his other colleagues.
According to the CCN, the policemen were on patrol on December 18. They heard a police radio transmission that three men travelling in a white Mitsubishi Galant motorcar registered 0921DR had just held up and robbed the Western Union in White House of an undetermined sum of money.
The motorcar carrying the criminals was reportedly intercepted at Dunbars River. There, three men jumped from the car and opened fire on the police then ran in different directions.
It was discovered that the policeman, Constable Roosevelt Lewis, received two gunshots to his left hand. He was hospitalised and said to be in a stable condition.
The abandoned car was later searched and one 9mm pistol, containing a magazine with 13 rounds, four sticks of dynamites and $86,000 was recovered.
One of the men has been held for interrogation by the Sav-la-mar CIB. He is scheduled to face an identification parade.
According to an eye witness, "It was definitely a shoot out, there is no doubt about that". He said that he believed the incident to be a sheer coincidence on the part of the police patrol.
He said that the Mitsubishi car carrying the band of robbers ran into the back of a Starlett motor car which braked suddenly forcing the driver of the Mitsubishi to do the same. As a result, the marked police vehicle behind, collided with the Mitsubishi.
The eyewitness said that the police then pulled up beside the Mitsubishi, obviously unaware of the danger. Two of the men then got out of the car and opened fire at the police. By the time the police recovered and started returning the fire, the two men had eluded them. A third man who throughout the incident was lying in the car was held by the police.
The eyewitness showed this reporter the gas pump behind which he hid. He claimed that the pump saved his life.
