Bandit shot dead during robbery attempt on Chinese restaurant at Sophia

– accomplice nabbed, another on the run

A brazen attempted robbery at a newly opened Chinese restaurant on Dennis Street, Sophia, Greater Georgetown, ended in chaos when one of the bandits was fatally shot, another escaped, and a third was caught by law enforcement officers.
The Wan Dan Chinese Restaurant was stormed by three armed bandits just after 12:00h on Tuesday – one week after it was opened.
However, shortly after the invasion, a security officer reportedly discharged a round thus fatally wounding the yet-to-be-identified bandit. He is suspected to be in his 20s and from the community.

One of the bandits escaped with the firearm used by the bandits while the third was apprehended by the police. Following the incident, the community erupted in chaos as people on the scene were heard accusing the alleged shooter of shooting at ‘innocent men’.
However, the property owner stated that she was in her home in the upper flat of the building when she heard the sound of gunfire.
“I was upstairs lying down and I heard the bang. So, I got up and I peeped into my window, but I didn’t see anything. So, while I was about to go to the veranda, I heard somebody say pass the effing money… I put on my top and I come downstairs, but when I come I didn’t see anybody in front. Like, they were already inside. I heard a shot and then I heard another shot, that was when the guard shot at somebody”, she related.
At the time of the incident, the restaurant owners were in the process of welding a grill door—a precautionary measure they had been working on when the three young men reportedly stormed the establishment.

Guyana Times was informed that a Chinese national who was in the building at the time managed to escape and alert the authorities, as well as a nearby Chinese supermarket, which reportedly dispatched private security to the scene.
Upon arrival, the security team encountered the armed bandits. Speaking on behalf of the restaurant owners, a friend expressed frustration and concern about the repeated targeting of Chinese businesses in Guyana.
The friend emphasised that while many Chinese entrepreneurs are eager to invest in the country and contribute to its economy, they have to work hard for their money.
“The country coming up and it is more nice but I told him you have to be careful…I am very sorry for that. These is young people and they are not supposed to do them things… they are hurting people who work hard to get money. Guyana is growing and they will have lots of jobs now… that’s why Chinese people are scared to open businesses”, he said. (LaWanda McAllister)