4 Venezuelan nationals charged, remanded for attacking, stabbing cop

Four Venezuelan nationals were remanded to prison after appearing before Magistrate Fabayo Azore at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday on an attempted murder charge.
Victoria La Cruz, 21, a domestic worker; Gabriel Campose, 19, a labourer; Lilbeth Valasquez, 37; and Jesus Herrea, 26, also a labourer were charged for brutally stabbing a police officer at Stabroek Market. The quartet were not required to plead to the indictment.
As such, the prosecution objected to bail, citing the seriousness of the case and argued that the charge could result in life imprisonment.
The prosecutor highlighted that several weapons, including a knife, were used during the attack while adding that the officer remains in critical condition at the Georgetown Public Hospital.
Additionally, the court was informed that none of the accused provided proper addresses to the police, posing a potential flight risk.
The prosecutor also mentioned that the case file was incomplete as police were reviewing CCTV footage of the incident. He requested one month for the matter to be referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice, noting that videos of the incident are circulating on social media.

Magistrate Azore agreed and adjourned the case until December 30, 2024, ordering the accused to remain in custody.
It was reported that on the day in question, the officer who was in plain clothes and armed with a .38 revolver was walking along Cornhill Street, Georgetown when he intervened in a heated argument between two women, one of whom was wielding a broken bottle.
As the officer attempted to de-escalate the situation and instructed one of the armed women to drop the bottle, he was suddenly attacked from behind by four men, believed to be Venezuelan nationals. One of the assailants was armed with a knife and inflicted multiple stab wounds on the constable.
In response, the injured officer discharged four warning shots into the air, causing the attackers to flee. A police patrol in the vicinity responded swiftly, escorting the injured officer to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). He remains hospitalized with multiple stab wounds and is in critical condition.
Investigators later launched an immediate manhunt, apprehending the four male suspects as well as the two women involved in the initial altercation. All six individuals were in custody at the Brickdam Police Station. Two of the male suspects, who sustained minor injuries, were also taken to receive medical treatment at the GPHC.
Crime scene investigators processed the area, documented evidence, and canvassed CCTV footage. Several cameras were identified and are being reviewed as part of the ongoing investigation.