Three
masked, armed men held up Butterfield Bank at the Compass Centre Wednesday
morning.
The robbers entered the bank around
11.20am, fired one shot into the ceiling, then demanded that everyone inside
the bank “get on the floor” or they would kill them, according to one witness.
“I was standing in line and the
next thing I know I see a man in a weird mask,” the woman said, describing the masks
as similar to US presidents’ masks that children wear at Halloween.
Police have confirmed all three men
were wearing Halloween masks, one was of President Obama.
The witness went onto add she hit the floor as
soon as she was ordered to do so by the men. “It felt like forever, but it
probably only took two or three minutes,” she said.
A woman that was at the ATM machine
connected to Butterfield Bank said she heard the shots and immediately ran out
of the building.
“I ran right away when I heard the
shot because I was afraid the robbers would see me,” she said
Police arrived soon after the
robbers fled. Officers immediately began
to question witnesses and cordon off the area with police tape.
The robbers fled with an
undisclosed amount of cash.
Both uniform and armed units of the
RCIPS arrived immediately after the heist and began an extensive ground and air search of the
area.
As of Wednesday night no arrests
had been made.
No one was injured in the incident
but several bank employees and customers were shaken up.
A pregnant teller was taken to the
hospital for observation and released later in the day.
Related Videos
RCIPS: Plesae issue to the Public the following information:
1. What exact time was the call to 911 received?
2. What exact time did the Police arrive on the scene?
3. What time did the Police Helicopter get mobilised
This robbery is an "instant replay" of the September 24th robbery of the Fidelity Bank. 3 armed men; same style, same time. I always thought that all banks have security cameras, so why haven’t the security shots been shown to the public? This is a very small island, there are only a very few places these criminals can be. Show the security footage and let’s get the job done before somebody gets hurt!
Blue
Something’s not been right in this regard for a long time now…
Armed robbery is now a way of life in Grand Cayman; a full-time job for some people, if you like.
Since this began to be the case, the RCIPS have never, ever foiled a robbery in progress, never been on the scene in time to engage these criminals either in the act or in the act of escaping.
The GT RCIPS Headquarters is less than a mile away from the George Town city center and the outlying areas of GT, where these robberies are systematically taking place… there is a clear pattern to follow.
If the Caymanian Govt. and the RCIPS was determined to engage these criminals, a Rapid Response Unit would be on call 24/7 and ready to go the moment the call came in…a response of less than 10 minutes is enough time to halt, engage and apprehend any armed robbers in George Town and shoot them dead if necessary.
Unless and until the Caymanian public step up and demand answers from their ‘exalted’ Premiere and the Commissioner of Police of the RCIPS, these armed criminals now rule Cayman….
While the ‘impressice-looking, gear-laden’ members of the RCIPS cower in their police stations like a bunch of cowards.
I’m sorry, but I call it as I see it….
It appears to me that the local population is being intentionally sacrificed to appease these criminals so that the ‘elite’ of Cayman society and their ‘beloved’ police officers do not encounter any danger or threat to their precious selves.
Blue, free lunch, firery, you are all spot on.
The public should demand answers from the Govt. and RCIPS. They aren’t very good at sharing information. First the bank in Savannah, then Fidelity and now Butterfield in the heart of town. Soon people won’t feel safe going to the ATM or to the gas station/pizza shop as well.
If the ‘unarmed’ police can’t bring the criminals to justice then there should be ‘armed’ private security guards. If the robbers bring firearms and the police is toothless then why can’t the public protect themselves??
Why, in particular, a bank security officer is not carrying a gun? What value does he/she add if they can’t shoot the robbers who are carrying guns?
Think this through for a minute. You go to rob a bank and oh by the way the guard is packing heat. Hmmm, even for a mental dwarf, which most criminals are, it’s a no-brainer.
All these nicely dressed guards on the island and no weapon, yikes.
Firery,
You seem to believe there is a clear pattern forming – if so why dont you share with all of us and tell us from this pattern and these obvious systematic robberies where these robbers are going to strike next???
I am also pretty certain that no one more than the RCIPS want to engage and apprehend these criminals, however, just because of a quicker response time does not necessarily mean this is going to happen. As for saying they cower in their stations like a bunch of cowards – i totally disagree and believe it is the friends/family who hide and harbour these idiots doing the robberies that are the cowards! If everyone here want these things to stop, we a are small enough Island that someone must know who is involved and therfore not support and hide them any longer. Its very easy to call someone a coward when your sat behind a computer!
I dont believe that the locals are being sacrificed – imagine the situation with out any police – I agree something needs to be done, however badmouthing the local law enforcement is not the way to go about it as i am sure if you were broken into and could not defend yourself that they would be the first people you would call!!!
Tazza79
I’ll respond to you in a clear, concise way and maybe you’ll get the point…
If, over the last 12 months, the RCIPS or yourself, cannot see the pattern of robberies, particularly in the GT area, then you’re simply not looking..
Obviously you are used to the incompetent way your police are working and have always worked…
It is not the police’s job to ‘wish there was more that could be done’; its their job to STOP IT !
I live in the UK now; let me give you a clear example of how British police work at home…
In London, last year there was a spate of gang shootings; The Met put a detail of armed police officers on the streets in the areas in which these shootings were taking place;random searches and targeted undercover operations has brought this spate of shootings to an end.
Why ? Because the gunmen know that the armed British police units are there to shoot them dead on the spot should a firearm be seen to used in the committing of a crime, end of.
At the risk of doing the police’s job for them in Cayman, let me give you one quick suggestion…
Undercover armed units of 2 – 3 police officers per unit, patrolling specifically to hunt these robbers would soon see results because the area in which they are working is in a clear pattern; GT is a very small city.
Undercover, armed police officers in covert operations inside the major banks and their branches over the next 6-months will either have some of these robbers shot in the committing of a bank robbery or the robberies will end…that is if the RCIPS have the guts to do it.
It will only take one successful operation in stopping one of these armed robberies in progress to intill fear into any other’ would-be Dillingers’ and have them thinking twice about committing another armed robbery.
If you can say that you are happy with the way the CI Government and the RCIPS is handling this spate of robberies, then you are basically saying that they can do nothing more and that you are happy with that…
If you hold these families responsible for not turning their members in, again you’re not getting it.
These families are more than likely profitting from the gains of these robberies; do you realistically expect them to turn their ‘bread-winners’ in to the authorities ?
What world are you living in ?
If you don’t see this as a crisis that your government and police are not appropriately dealing with, I have to seriously question your perception and responsibility as a citizen of the Cayman Islands.
I hope I’ve adequatley answered your ‘questions’.
I am a very frequent visitor to the Island. I have been coming here for 36 years. The crime has gotten way out of control. I never used to fear robbery and such. Now I sometimes fear going out at night. I realize economics and population have lots to do with it. We are an island here, surely it would be easier to control the say the USA. Just look at Singapore—I could walk the streets at night with gold and cash sticking outside my pockets without fear. Your country NEEDS tourism especially now. It is vital to your countries economics to do better job policing and (especially) stiffening the punishment. I agree with the comment about why can’t bank guards have weapons. What god is a security guard with out a weapon.