No bail for alleged serial carjacker

Jan 06, 2023 News

Kaieteur News – Twenty-six-year-old Romaine Travis Watson, who is before the court on charges related to carjacking, was on Thursday slapped with further charges after he was caught earlier this week with a carload of car doors.

Police said that the 63 Kuru Kuru College Road, Soesdyke-Linden Highway, resident was busted with four car doors in his possession. He was on Thursday remanded to prison. The accused appeared at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court l where the charge was read to him. The accused pleaded not guilty and was subsequently remanded to prison until 2023-02-24.

Busted with suspected stolen car doors, alleged carjacker, Jomaine Travis Watson

Watson was arrested on Tuesday when patrol ranks busted him at Annandale, East Coast of Demerara (ECD), with a car load of suspected stolen car parts. Watson, and six other men were charged in August last year for a series of alleged carjacking and armed robberies on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD). Police had found stolen car parts and an illegal 9MM pistol at his Kuru Kuru home. He was subsequently charged and remanded to prison but later released on court bail.

According to police, the ranks were conducting routine patrols in the vicinity of Annandale Market around 16:00hrs when a heavily-tinted silver grey Toyota Premio suddenly drove off and sped away from them.

The cops quickly suspected that the driver might be a “law breaker”, decided to pursue him. They eventually caught up with the vehicle and the driver, Watson was forced to stop and pull over.

Ranks searched his car and found that it was loaded with four silver Toyota Premio car doors- two in the back seat and two in the trunk. Watson reportedly could not provide a valid explanation of how he obtained the car doors and the policemen were forced to suspect that they might be stolen ones.

They arrested him immediately and impounded his vehicle with the suspected stolen property at the Vigilance Police Station.

Police have since launched an investigation to find out if Watson is still in the business of allegedly stealing cars while on trial for previous carjacking offences.

The suspected car doors found in Watson’s car at Annandale, ECD.

Detectives were first able to link Watson to a major carjacking ring in August, 2022 after a Green Ice taxi driver was hijacked of his new model Toyota Allion by gunmen at Dookie Road, Soesdyke, EBD.

One of the gang members reportedly posing as a passenger hired the car and told the victim that he wanted to go to the Timehri Police Station but as they were almost there, he changed his location to Dookie Road. There the bandit and some other accomplices hijacked the taxi driver at gunpoint and also stole his cellphone and other valuables.

The next day, cops received a tip that someone was selling a car bumper. That information led them to Watson’s Kuru Kuru Home where they reportedly found a 9MM pistol, some car lights and bumpers. His arrest led police to make a major dent in the EBD carjacking ring by arresting and a charging a number of alleged gang members. They were also able to recover the taxi driver’s stolen Toyota Allion and seven other stolen cars at forested locations (ST Cuthbert’s Mission and Long Creek) along the Linden Soesdyke Highway.

According to detectives, they were lucky enough to find the Allion intact because the rest were only shells with the engine – the other key parts were gone. The other men charged with Watson for allegedly stealing cars and armed robberies are, Jason Harry an ex-cop and the alleged mastermind, Toney Jerrick, 32, Standford Ford, 25 and Randy Fraser.