The Tribune

A man wanted for questioning in the possession of a high-powered assault weapon is detained in hospital after he was arrested following a shootout with police on Friday.

According to police reports, around 8pm Friday officers received a report of a man armed with a firearm driving a silver coloured Nissan Primera on Water Street in the Big Pond area.

A short while later, responding officers encountered the suspect driving the vehicle in the area. As the officers approached the suspect, he fired a shot at them and sped off.

The police pursued. During the chase, the suspect hit a Honda vehicle driven by a woman with three passengers, but refused to stop. The suspect then turned his vehicle around and drove head on towards a police vehicle, police said.

The officers, in fear for their lives, shot the suspect and the vehicle came to a stop. The suspect was rushed to hospital where he is detained in serious condition under heavy police guard.

Police want to question the suspect in connection with an AK- 47 assault rifle that it was claimed he had left in a vehicle following a police chase several weeks ago.

This incident occurred a day after police shot two men who led officers on a high-speed chase that ended on Marathon Road.

According to police reports, on Thursday night three men with a handgun robbed the owner of a Superwash laundromat on Charles Saunders Highway of a handbag and cash before fleeing in a red Honda Fit driven by another male.

Police immediately sent out an all-points bulletin (APB) for the vehicle. Shortly afterwards, around 8pm, officers on patrol spotted the car in the Nassau Village area. A chase followed that ended on Robinson Road near Marathon Road, where the vehicle came to a stop when it crashed into another car.

The four male suspects got out of the car and opened fire on police. Officers returned fire and shot two of them. Police immediately arrested the four men and recovered a handgun and all of the stolen property.

Two of the suspects were taken to hospital, where at last report they were in serious condition under heavy police guard.

Police suspect the four men to be responsible for a number of armed robberies over the past weeks and can confirm that one of the suspects is on bail for armed robbery.

Anyone with information on these incidents is asked to contact police at 911 or 919, the Central Detective Unit at 502-9991 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 328-TIPS.