Police are on the hunt for three men who stormed the Ace Shopping Center located at Annandale, East Coast Demerara (ECD), and held the owner and customers hostage.
During the robbery, which occurred at around 17:00hrs on Saturday, the bandits and the shop owner exchanged gunfire before the perpetrators made good their escape.
CCTV footage of the robbery, seen by this publication, showed one of the bandits clad in a hat, a long sleeve shirt, and a pair blue jeans. He approached entered the shop, walked up to the counter, pulled out a gun, and forced a female customer behind the counter.
Simultaneously, customers who had just purchased goods from the shop were forced back into the store by the another gunman.
While that was happening, the third bandit ran in the business place and closed the doors behind him.
According to the shop owner, Hari Persaud popularly known as ‘Ace’, upon seeing this, he quickly picked up his firearm and entered a room, closing the steal door behind him.
The video footage showed one of the armed running and firing shots behind Persaud, he subsequently attempted to kick open the door but was unsuccessful.
While the first bandit was trying to get to the Persaud, the others were seen ransacking the business, and located some cash.
“He tried to kick open the door but I brace it firmly. He pushed his gun and told me he will shoot me and I said I will shoot him back, and he start firing, and I return fire… the two of them later assault my staff and run out of the shop…,” the businessman recalled.
Shortly after the men left, the businessman came out from his hiding place, and discharged a round in the direction of the perpetrators.
Persaud claims that the men made good their escape with about $50,000 dollars. He said he was not able to see their faces, since they were wearing face masks. However, he is adamant that the men are not from Annandale. Police are investigating.
