Police recover AK-47, revolver in East Coast Dem. raids

May 17, 2009 News

– magistrate’s stolen laptop, cocaine also found

Police on the East Coast of Demerara have recovered an AK-47 assault rifle and a .32 revolver during raids aimed at capturing a notorious armed robbery suspect who has been creating headaches for the law enforcement agency.

However, the suspect managed to elude capture by jumping through the window of a Haslington house leaving the weapons with live matching rounds behind.

According to reports, the man, Courtney James, for whom a wanted bulletin was issued, used some children as a human shield to make good his escape.

“He ran among some children and we could not shoot. We pursued him but he managed to escape,” a police source told this newspaper.

This is the second time in less than a week that the suspect has eluded capture.

But the police can consider yesterday’s operation, which commenced around midday and ended before sundown a success.

They also managed to recover a laptop computer that was stolen by the suspect from the home of Magistrate Nigel Hawke a month ago.

This newspaper understands that following the raid in Haslington during which the weapons were recovered, further information led the police to a house at Beterverwagting some seven miles away.

There they arrested a man and a woman in whose possession the laptop was found.

Further searches in the Haslington area led to the seizure of about 20 grams of cocaine and the arrest of several persons.

Police on the East Coast of Demerara have been coming under pressure to apprehend James who they say is responsible for a series of robberies and rape.

They are now trying to determine the origin of the AK-47 and according to a source it would not be surprising if it is found to be a part of the stock that went missing from the Guyana Defence Force Headquarters, Camp Ayanganna in 2006.