By Samantha Simon
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Two workers at a tyre shop on Fort Road fell victim to an armed robbery early Wednesday morning, leaving them shaken and without their valuables.
The incident occurred during what seemed to be a normal morning at the establishment as the men drank their coffee.
According to one of the workers who had been in the modified shipping container that served as their workplace, the first sign of trouble came when he noticed a suspicious individual with a covered face approaching the shop.
Initially, he mistook him for a street cleaner or road worker as they regularly frequent the area, but the employee’s concerns grew when a second shirtless man, also with a concealed face, appeared crouching nearby with what appeared to be a gun.
“I came inside and hid in between two air tanks and tried calling 911,” the first worker recounted.
Unable to reach emergency services after multiple attempts, he contacted a relative in the police’s Criminal Investigations Department (CID), which led to officers being informed.
The second worker, who was outside with a colleague, described the robbers’ swift actions.
“He [told] him ‘Don’t move’ and he [told] him ‘give me everything you have’. He took everything and he came by me. He [told] me ‘Stand up’, and he pushed his hand in my pocket. [Then] he start taking my stuff,” he told Observer.
The robbers also searched the shop but left empty-handed on foot after not finding anything of value that they could physically carry.
Despite efforts to follow them from a safe distance, the men vanished.
“We work hard to get our money,” lamented one of the workers, expressing distress over their lost possessions, citing the financial hardship of replacing stolen items on their limited income.
Police are investigating the incident and urging anyone with information to come forward by calling CID at 462-3913 or Crimestoppers at 800-8477.
The perpetrators are described as young boys, believed to be in their early teens. They both have dark complexions and are between 5ft-3ins and 5ft-5ins tall. One was wearing short pants without a shirt, while the other was wearing a vest and short pants.
Meanwhile, authorities are advising local businesses and residents to remain vigilant amid a lengthy spate of violent crime and report any suspicious activities immediately.
In an address to the nation on Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Gaston Browne pledged a package of measures aimed at curtailing gun crime.
