Man Arrested and Charged Following Robbery in George Town

Shortly before 3:30PM on Saturday, 22 November, officers responded to a report of a robbery at a jewellery store on Fort Street in George Town. It was reported that a man entered the store carrying a hammer and what appeared to be a firearm and began breaking into display cases with the hammer while brandishing the firearm. The man grabbed some pieces of jewellery and was confronted by a member of staff of the store who attempted to detain him. A struggle ensued and the suspect subsequently fled on foot along Fort Street, leaving behind the apparent firearm and other items.

He was subsequently spotted by the same member of staff on Mary Street, who alerted a nearby police unit to his location. Police located and arrested the man, age 19, residing in George Town.

Police conducted enquiries and recovered the firearm, which was determined to be an imitation firearm, along with the hammer and other items belonging to the suspect, as well as the items of jewellery he had stolen.

The member of staff of the store received minor injuries during the struggle, was treated in hospital and subsequently discharged.

The suspect has since been charged with Robbery and Possession of an Imitation Firearm with Intent to Commit an Offence, and was scheduled to appear in court on Monday, 24 November.

“We would like to commend the member of the public involved in this incident for assisting police in conducting a swift arrest,” says Detective Superintendent Peter Lansdown. “Although we continue to advise the public against directly confronting armed persons, the actions taken in alerting police to the location of the suspect demonstrate how effective it can be when the community and police work together to tackle crime.”