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Taxi driver barely survives armed robbery
Thirty-year-old taxi driver Ron VanSertima had what can only be called a lucky escape Sunday night. The father of two, who was still hospitalised yesterday afternoon, recounted how a normal pick up turned into a life and death experience.
He said that shortly after midnight on Sunday he was flagged down by a couple on Sheriff Street in the vicinity of the Tennessee night club. The male passenger told him that they were heading to Prashad Nagar.
According to VanSertima, the man was dark skinned and dreadlocked; about 5 feet 6″ tall and weighed about 160 lbs but he couldn’t give a description of the woman.
Ron VanSertima
As the taxi came to Promenade Street, Bel Air, the male passenger told VanSertima to ‘Turn in and stop’ then he told him to get out and demanded cash and jewellery.
According to a report issued by the police, VanSertima was relieved of some $18,000 in cash. He said that the man fired a shot at his face when he turned to him and thinking he had hit his mark the gunman opened the car door to go around to the driver’s side.
But VanSertima had not been hit. Instead the bullet had only grazed his upper lip, an injury which only needed two stitches at the hospital when he was treated later.
Reacting quickly Vansertima accelerated while the gunman was only half out of the vehicle unbalancing him and eventually causing him to fall but not before he fired another shot into the car.
This shot took VanSertima in the left shoulder. However there was no bone damage and the shot passed clean through the muscle tissue and burst through the windshield of the car. VanSertima said that after her companion fell the female passenger jumped out of the moving car, however he wasn’t speeding since the street was a dead end.
The taxi driver said that as he turned around and drove out of the street he saw the gunman run and hide by a bush but he was afraid to slow down since he wasn’t sure if the man was going to take another shot at him.
Before he could get out of the street a car described as a “yellow 192” pulled up and the two jumped into the car which sped off before he could get a look at the licence plates.
The bleeding man said that he went to a nearby taxi service, bought a phone card, called his wife and then drove to the Kitty Police Station. He was then taken back to the site by the police where he told them of the events. He was later taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital.
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