Bandit injured in shootout with Police slapped with abduction, armed robbery charges

Injured in a shootout with the Police on August 19, a 33-year-old resident of Sparendaam Housing Scheme, East Coast Demerara (ECD), has been charged with several offences, including abduction, armed robbery, and shooting at Police ranks.
Unrepresented by legal counsel, ex-convict Rawle Franklin, called “Mad Max” and “Rawle Dog”, was on Friday arraigned before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly in that Georgetown Magistrate’s court on the following allegations, 1: on August 19, at Mandela Avenue, Georgetown, he discharged a loaded firearm at Police ranks with intent to maim, disfigure, disable, or cause them grievous bodily harm.
2: On the same day and at the same location, he had a 9mm pistol with a magazine containing three live matching rounds when he was not the holder of a firearm licence.
3: On August 18, at Kitty, Georgetown, while armed with a gun, he robbed Ershad Mohammed of a haversack and other items to the total value of $310,000.
4: On August 18, at Thomas Lands, Georgetown, while being armed with a gun, and in the company of others, he robbed Brindsley Thom of two cell phones, a wallet, cash, and other items to the total value of $253,000.
Apart from the gun and ammo-possession charge, to which he pleaded not guilty, Franklin was not required to plead to the other charges.
Police Prosecutor Christopher Morris objected to the accused being released on bail, and his objections were upheld by the Magistrate, who remanded Franklin to prison until November 14.

Shootout with Police
Franklin and three other men: Hamza Samuels, Emmanuel Hale, and Andrew Newyear, were nabbed by the Police on August 19 following a dramatic chase that led to the rescue of taxi driver John Singh, whom they had allegedly abducted during a robbery spree.
Twenty-two-year-old Samuels, called “Bad Coolie”, and 18-year-old Hale, both residents of ‘D’ Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown, were charged with the operation last week, and were remanded to prison after appearing before the Sparendaam Magistrate charged with three counts of robbery under arms, and for abducting Singh.
Franklin has also been arraigned before the Sparendaam Magistrate on 10 counts of robbery under arms. He has also been charged with abducting Singh, and with two counts of simple larceny.
According to Police reports on the incident, ranks at the Brickdam Police Station Operations Room had received a telephone call that a white Toyota Allion motorcar with several persons inside had committed a robbery on Lamaha Street, Georgetown.
As a result, anti-crime patrols were alerted, and one of the patrols observed the motorcar in question driving along the Agricola Access Road, Greater Georgetown. That anti-crime patrol attempted to intercept the vehicle as it reached the Two Brothers Gas Station at Eccles, East Bank Demerara, but it sped away, resulting in the patrol pursuing it.
The Police related that the car was travelling at a fast rate of speed when it suddenly made a turn onto Hunter Street, Georgetown to head in the direction of Mandela Avenue, Georgetown. But the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle, and it collided with the barriers and came to a stop at the corner of Hunter Street and Mandela Avenue.
Thereupon, four males exited the car and began to run away from the scene. It was reported that shots were fired by the men as they attempted to escape, and the Police responded by discharging rounds in the men’s direction.
A search was later conducted in the area, and Franklin was seen lying on the parapet bleeding from injuries he had sustained, while another accomplice, Newyear, called ‘Black Boy’, was seen lying in a nearby yard with injuries as well. He died the next day, while receiving treatment at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).
A 9mm pistol with a magazine containing three live rounds of matching ammunition was found at the scene.
Meanwhile, the cops also disclosed that, while at the scene, they heard sounds coming from the trunk of the alleged bandits’ car, and upon inspecting, found Singh.
The car used by the alleged bandits had been hijacked from Singh, a driver attached to the Shamo Taxi Base at Vryheid’s Lust Railway Embankment, ECD. Singh told investigators he was in the driver’s seat of his uncle’s car, PSS 2705, when he was approached by three men, one of whom pointed a gun at him and ordered him out of the car.
He said he complied, and the men ordered him to go into the trunk of the car, where they locked him in. The taxi driver recalled the vehicle driving for some time before he felt the car crashing into something, after which there were loud explosions, suspected to be gunshots.
Hale and Samuels were also found by Police hiding in a nearby yard that morning. After his arrest, the 18-year-old Hale allegedly confessed to the Police that he and the others had gone on a robbery spree in Georgetown on August 18, and into the following morning, and were reportedly heading on the EBD in search of more targets when they were intercepted by the Police. Meanwhile, a fifth suspect, Romario Hudson, is still at large.

Convicted and jailed
Franklin is no stranger to law enforcement. In 2017, he was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment by Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman after admitting to having a .40 Smith and Wesson pistol and 14 matching rounds when he was not a licensed firearm holder.
He has been linked to several criminal offences, including armed robberies and discharging a loaded firearm, dating back to 2015.