Two men are on trial before the Grand Court for allegedly robbing a man of $40 during a late-night holdup at an Esso service station last year.
The defendants, Devon Emmanuel Wright and Alvin Shaquille Ebanks, each face charges of robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, and possession of an unlicensed firearm. They have denied the charges.
The charges stem from an incident shortly after 10pm on 29 March 2022 at the Esso service station off Dorcy Drive in George Town, when a lone gunman entered the premises and fired a shot in the air, before making off with the petty cash from a customer.
The gunman fled the scene on a motorcycle with another man.
The incident was one of 47 reported armed robberies last year, the most for such crimes in a decade, and the third-most active year for robberies in recorded history.
While giving evidence on Monday, 25 Sept., Police Constable Derron Campbell of the RCIPS’ Firearms Response Unit told the jury, of three men and four women, that he and his partner responded to the robbery report within five minutes of the call.
“When we got to the location, I observed a single spent bullet casing at the entrance of the door,” said Campbell. “I also viewed a still image of a suspect who was wearing a designer jacket, with a white shirt… covering his face, and a multi-coloured backpack.”
According to Campbell, he and his partner then set out in search of the suspects.
“Not long after, while on patrol… we came across a grey Volvo, with two occupants. They began to act suspiciously and when we signalled for them to stop, they fled and sped off.”
The court heard that the men in the car sped along Rock Hole Road, onto Martin Drive, before exiting the car and fleeing the scene on foot.
“Both men ran towards the back of the yard where it was dark and they were able to escape by jumping over the walk that borders central Scranton and the Government Administration Building,” said Campbell.
During a search of the car, police recovered a backpack matching the one recorded on CCTV of the incident.
The trail went cold for nearly two weeks, before Campbell, while on patrol on 12 April, this time along Sand Hole Road in West Bay, spotted a motorcycle matching the description of the one used by the robbers.
He told the court that when he went to investigate the matter, a man who identified himself as Joshua Ebanks and the sole occupant of the home, told him he knew nothing about the motorcycle.
“I also observed a similar jacket like one used by the robbers in the CCTV footage on a clothes line in the back of the yard,” said Campbell, who added that he secured the scene and awaited for the lead detectives to arrive.
The prosecution’s case continues.
Both defendants remain in custody while the trial is under way.
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