The Tribune

By DANA SMITH dsmith@tribunemedia.net TWO men led police on a high speed chase before crashing and engaging officers in a gunfight that left one suspect injured before they both fled on foot. The crash and shooting happened on the corner of the Eastern Road and San Souci, around noon yesterday. Neighbours, nearby, described how the sound of gun shots could be heard resonating through the usually peaceful area. According to a source who lives on Eastern Road, close to the crash site, the men allegedly followed a woman home from a bank and robbed her at gunpoint outside her residence near Twynam Road. The men then fled in a beige coloured Nissan Sentra. "Once they got away she must of called the police," the source said. "The police soon saw the car and followed them. Once they realised the police were chasing them, they took off." Attempting to lose the police on their tail, the men sped past homes on the Eastern Road before attempting a sharp turn into San Souci, crashing into a walled residence. "Police followed them all the way down Eastern Road and they made that bank onto San Souci," the source continued. "When both guys got out of the car, they both had guns drawn. There was a bit of a gun fight." According to another Eastern Road resident who lives nearby and wishes to remain anonymous, he heard the crash and "a lot of gun shots." "I heard four shots," he said. "Four rapid shots." Another neighbour corroborated his account. "I was in my house and I heard probably about four shots - it was like: pow pow pow pow," a woman said. "I didn't know what it was at first but then I recognized that it was gun shots, for sure. "My dogs started barking and, of course, I was scared. I stayed in my house," she said. The men managed to flee from police on foot, but the source claims one of the suspects might have been shot during the exchange of gunfire. "Police know they shot one of the guys," the source said. "I don't blame them, the guys drew guns on them." The source continued: "Now, he got back up but it's only a matter of time before they either find him or - he definitely needs medical attention. "That's why you see all the police around. They have dogs out there looking for them and they had this whole area surrounded, cop cars were all around. This island's gone crazy." The neighbour said he had seen police dogs in the area, as well: "They had dogs out here. Six or eight dogs out there looking for them."