Hijacking, robbery spree: Bandit dies 1 day after being shot by Police

Andrew Newyear, one of four bandits arrested by the Police on Thursday morning during a dramatic apprehension and rescue of a driver at Vryheid’s Lust Railway Embankment, East Coast Demerara (ECD), has died.

Guyana Times understands that Newyear died on Thursday evening while receiving treatment at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC).
Of the four bandits arrested by the Police in that incident, Newyear and Rawle Franklin were the two characters known to the Police. They both sustained gunshot injury during the ordeal, while their two other accomplices, Hamza Samuels and Emmanuel Hale, were arrested.
According to Police, Joshua Singh, a driver attached to the Shamo Taxi Base at Vryheid’s Lust, Railway Embankment, East Coast Demerara, was rescued from the trunk of his car, which was hijacked by the four bandits. 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.
He said that soon after, he felt the car crash into something, and thereafter he heard loud explosions, suspected to be gunshots.
Police said that ranks at the Brickdam Operations Room had received a telephone call that a white Allion 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 motor car in question driving along the Agricola Access Road. That anti-crime patrol attempted to intercept the vehicle as it reached the Two Brothers Gas Station, but it sped away, resulting in the patrol pursuing it.

According to the Police, the car was travelling at a fast rate of speed when it suddenly made a turn onto Hunter Street to head in the direction of Mandela Avenue. The driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle, and it collided with the barriers and came to a stop. As such, four males then exited the car and began to run away from the scene.
Rank said shots were fired by the men getting away, and they discharged a round 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 his accomplice Newyear was seen lying in a nearby yard with injuries. A 9mm pistol with a magazine containing three live rounds of matching ammunition was found at the scene.

Franklin and Newyear were escorted to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where they were both receiving medical attention under Police guard, until Newyear passed away later in the evening.
Last year, Newyear was arrested after being accused of stealing a motorcycle and evading the court for six months. Police are also accusing the suspects of carrying out several robberies on Wednesday night, prior to kidnapping Singh and hijacking his car. (G9)