Press Conference Regarding Alleged Firearm Incident
Mon, 2008-05-12
Detective Chief Inspector Antoine Daniels, Officer in Charge of the Serious Crime Unit
Recent media reports indicate that Police are looking for suspects regarding an armed robbery incident which is alleged to have occurred on Friday of last week.
I am here to inform you that this is not the case, in addition to giving some insight into what actually occurred and to make an appeal for the public’s assistance.
The SCU are currently carrying out investigations into an allegation that a man pointed a firearm at a Police officer in an effort to avoid arrest. The brief details are that around 1:30 pm on Friday last, a Police patrol vehicle was involved in a high-speed chase with a motorcycle. The cycle was carrying both a rider and pillion passenger. The chase ended in the area of Vesey Street, Devonshire where the passenger jumped from the cycle in an effort to avoid detention by Police and fell to the ground.
A brief struggle ensued between the passenger of the cycle and the pursuing Police officer, at which time the man brandished what is believed to be a firearm and pointed it at the officer. He then fled into the Vesey Street Marsh area. Although the man was wearing a crash helmet over his head at the time, the pursuing officer recognised that the offender had a very distinctive tattoo on one side of his neck in the form of three stars, 1 being larger than the other 2.
This is a fairly serious matter in view of recent shootings that have occurred in Bermuda in recent times. As a result Police would like to make a public appeal to any persons who may have any information or knowledge of a black male, approximately 5’9” tall, slim to medium build, and displaying tattoos of this kind or similar in nature, to contact the SCU on telephone number 299-4315 or the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800- 623-8477.
There has been a fair amount of assistance provided by members of the public in recent days and on behalf of the Bermuda Police Service, I would like to publicly thank those persons who have assisted us thus far.
