2 carjackers slapped with 13 charges, remanded

Aug 24, 2022 Court Stories, News

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Kaieteur News – Two carjackers were on Monday remanded after being slapped with 13 charges – four at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts and nine at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court.

The 13 charges include hijacking a car, kidnapping a taxi-driver, shooting at police and a series of armed robberies.

Police identified the two defendants as 18-year-old Emmanuel Hale and 32-year-old Hamza Samuels called “Bad Coolie”, both of ‘B’ Field Sophia, Georgetown. They were among four men captured last Thursday by police during a shoot-out on Mandela Avenue in Georgetown.

They had reportedly hijacked a car from a taxi driver, Joshua Singh, and locked him in the trunk before going on a robbery spree until they were nabbed finally by patrol ranks.

The other two men have been identified as Rawle Franklyn called “Mad Dog” and Andrew Newyer known as “Black Boy”.  Franklyn and Newyer were reportedly shot during the confrontation with police. Newyer has since succumbed to his gunshot wounds while Franklyn remains hospitalised.

Hale had reportedly given police a confession admitting to a number of violent crimes they had committed. Moreover, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali Hack, SC, had advised that police charge them.
Hale and his accomplice, Samuels, on Monday appeared first at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court before Magistrate Leron Daly to face the first four charges and were later taken to the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court to face the remaining nine charges.

At the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, the duo was charged for allegedly discharging a loaded firearm at police on August 18 last on Mandela Avenue with intent to maim, disfigure, disable or cause grievous bodily harm. The second charge alleges that on August 18, at Kitty, Georgetown, while being armed with a gun, they robbed Ershad Mohammed of a haversack and other items totalling $310,000.

A third charge reads that on the same date, at Thomas Land, Georgetown, Hale and Samuels, while being armed with a gun and in the company of others, allegedly robbed Brindsley Thom of two cell phones, a wallet and cash, totalling $253,000. They were also accused of stealing a black bag, a cell phone, local and foreign currency totalling $89,500 from Jomo Angus that same day.

Samuels and Hale were not required to plead to the four charges read to them at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court and Magistrate Daly remanded them to prison until November 14, 2022.

The men were then taken to the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court where they appeared before Magistrate Rushelle Liverpool to answer the remaining charges.

There the court heard that Hale and Samuels on August 18, last at Ogle, East Coast Demerara (ECD), while being in the company of others, allegedly robbed Madan Ramdeo of a cell phone and cash totalling $73,000.

It was further alleged that on that same day, at Red Road Sophia, they robbed Jenny Mingo of $293,000 in items. They were also charged for hijacking a $1.7M car from Joshua Singh, robbing him of his cell phone and cash and then abducting him in his own car.

The charges did not stop there. The Magistrate went on to read that on June 26, at Sophia, Georgetown, the duo robbed George Grey of a quantity of personal items totalling $895,000. Earlier that month on June 12, at Sparendaam Housing Scheme, while being armed with a cutlass, they allegedly robbed Royston Adams of a Taurus pistol, ammunition and other items totalling $1.4M.

Samuels was then charged separately for allegedly robbing Collin Robinson of $944,000 at gunpoint on July 24, last at ‘B’ Field, Sophia. He was slapped with another charge, which alleges that he robbed Angela Delayra at gunpoint of $1.9M in items. That robbery reportedly took place on July 31, last, at Cummings Park, Sophia while he was in the company of others.

Hale, his accomplice in the carjacking and other robberies, was also charged individually for allegedly attempting to rob Ezra Roberts on July 31, last.

The duo was not required to plead to the abduction charge at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court but for the remaining eight charges, they faced there, they pleaded not guilty.

Magistrate Liverpool also remanded them to prison and they are expected to return to court on October 7, 2022.

According to reports, while in police custody, the defendants gave police detailed confession about their alleged hijacking and kidnapping of a taxi driver before going on a robbery spree. In that confession, they named a fifth accomplice, Romario Hudson, popularly known as “Mario”.  Police are yet to nab that individual. Hale told investigators that he was picked up from a location at Kitty Public Road by Samuels, Franklyn and Newyer in the car driven by Hudson.

Hudson reportedly drove them to Vryheid’s Lust, East Coast Demerara. Upon their arrival there, Hudson, Franklyn and Samuels, all armed with hand guns, exited, leaving him and Newyer behind. They approached a white car with its windows down that was parked in front of a taxi base and hijacked it before locking its driver in the trunk.

The suspects reportedly got into the stolen car and Hudson drove it off. Hale claimed too that Newyer took over the wheel of Hudson’s car and drove behind the stolen car all the way to ‘B’ Field, Sophia, Greater Georgetown.

When they arrived there, Newyer handed over Hudson’s car to an individual by the name of “Foxy” and together with Hale, he entered the stolen car still being driven by Hudson.

The carjackers then proceeded to carry out a robbery spree with the stolen car while the owner was still locked in the trunk.

However, their luck ran out after police spotted them and chased them all the way to Mandela Avenue where they were captured eventually in a shootout.

According to reports, persons had spotted them committing an armed robbery on Lamaha Street and had tipped off police around 02:59hrs.

Hale and Samuels have also reportedly admitted to participating in several other robberies in the Georgetown district and led police to a house in West Ruimveldt where they handed over a 9mm Taurus Pistol without a magazine and a single live 9mm ammunition.

The two suspects then took police to Hudson mother’s house at ‘D’ Field, Sophia where more suspected stolen items were found.  Hudson is the fifth suspect still on the run. Police identified the items as four cellular phones, and an HP laptop. Police also found boxes of illegal .32 and 9mm ammunitions along with over 2000 grams of ganja. Hudson’s mom was taken in for questioning and the illegal items were seized.

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