Bandits hit Bel Air Service Station again

Dec 09, 2009 News

– getaway car driver arrested

The Bel Air service station yesterday

For the seventh time bandits have robbed the Bel Air Service station, East Coast Demerara, forcing the closure of the fuel station and Food Mart until further notice.
Yesterday, erected barricades and the repetition of “We closed” greeted persons who sought to fuel up at the Bel Air Texaco Service station during the afternoon.
This follows a brazen daylight robbery allegedly committed by three gun-toting men.
About midday yesterday the men who reportedly did not wear any masks held up and robbed the pump attendant identified as Compton Matthews, and the Food Mart of in excess of $1M in cash and items.
The pump attendant who was alone at the service station at the time was allegedly beaten over the head with a gun and relieved of all the day’s takings as well as a quantity of phone cards and his cellular phone.
They then entered the unmanned Food Mart and carted off a quantity of items including a desktop computer; the cash registered containing all the cash earned for the day, a compact disc player and a woman’s bag containing personnel effects.
The service station has several security cameras installed but none is in working order.
The gunmen therefore escaped undetected.
When this publication visited the location several staff members were gathered outside the Food Mart.
They said that the owner, Roy Hercules, was out but noted that yesterday’s robbery was the first committed on the service station under the new owner’s watch.
While there, the former owner arrived at the location to fuel-up but was turned away as operations have closed until further notice.
When he heard of the robbery he exclaimed “Again!” When he owned it the service station was the target of six robberies. Reports are that these influenced the previous owner to sell the property.
At the time of the robbery there was only one staff at work while another had left to run an errand.
There was no security guard at the location either.
A female attendant who opted to remain anonymous, recounted that she had mere seconds earlier walked out of the mart and was on the roadway when she saw three men “bank the turn from Sophia front road and one was heading to me but bus pull up and I jump in and I ain’t take it for nothing.”
She also saw one of the men walking up to the pump attendant as he was on his cellular phone.
Oblivious that a robbery was about to take place, the bus drove off. She was not aware that a robbery had taken place until she contacted the pump attendant via telephone.
They also carried away her handbag containing her personal belongings. The police was summoned and an investigation has been launched.
The bandits also opened the beverage cooler and took with them six bottles of beer.
The police in a release said that they are investigating the armed robbery during which pump attendant Compton Matthews was attacked and robbed by three men, one of whom was armed with a handgun.
They said that the driver of the motorcar has been arrested and is in police custody assisting with the investigations.