Owner of alleged hijacked car was sentenced for gun possession

Republic Bank foiled robbery

The owner of the car intended to be used by the bandits after the foiled Republic Bank robbery on Tuesday has since been arrested and it proved that he is also a convict who was sentenced in absentia in 2016 for firearm and ammunition possession.
This was confirmed by Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum on Wednesday during a

telephone interview with Guyana Times. He further stated that the man, whose name was withheld, was charged on April 23, 2015 and was granted bail.
However, since his release, he did not show up for any of the hearings and, as such, the presiding Magistrate sentenced him to four years in prison.
Ever since his sentence, he has evaded the law. He was taken into custody on Tuesday after he claimed that his car was hijacked a day before the planned robbery. The Crime Chief further told Guyana Times that it is too early to determine whether or not he is a part of the robbery, while noting that investigations are ongoing.
However, the two other suspects in the robbery, Jamal Haynes an

d Keron Saunders remain in Police custody and are being further grilled in connection with the foiled robbery on the Water Street banking establishment which has left Elton Wray dead.
Blanhum told Guyana Times that the Police will approach the High Court for an extension in the detention period since the 72 hours will expire shortly.

Foiled robbery
Pandemonium broke out at the Water Street location of Republic Bank after Haynes held a colleague hostage while the others demanded money on Tuesday

morning.
Nevertheless, members of the contracted security firm were alerted of the suspected bank robbery and called the Police for assistance. Upon realising that the area was surrounded, Haynes held a bank staff at gunpoint and escaped into the vendor’s arcade.
Wray on the other hand did the same and ran towards another section of the vendor’s arcade where he made his way into a cook shop and pretended to be a cook. He was trailed and the Police opened fire, fatally wounding him.
In addition, Keron Saunders surrendered to Police and it is suspected that a fourth

made good his escape. Now investigators are trying to ascertain if the taxi driver who claimed his car was hijacked is the fourth.
Meanwhile, a car bearing registration number PWW 1452 and which belonged to Wray was found parked at the Plaza Bridge in South Ruimveldt, Georgetown.
The dead 24-year-old man, also referred to as “Peas”, was an agronomy graduate from a Chinese University and worked as a Research Assistant at the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI).
He was the son of a senior rank within the Guyana Police Force. With respect to

Saunders, Police sources have confirmed that he is known to the Police but they could not confirmed if he was actually charged for any crime. On his Facebook profile, there are photos of guns and large sums of money.