A major manhunt is underway for two armed attackers who carried out a bold, mid-afternoon robbery at a West Indies Oil Company (WIOC) fuel outlet on Buckley Line, with top officials stepping in to speed up investigations by offering a substantial cash incentive for tips. Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne has publicly pledged a $10,000 reward for any member of the public who provides actionable information that results in the arrest of either of the two suspects linked to the frightening hold-up.
Browne made the formal announcement of the reward during a live appearance on the Browne and Browne Show, broadcast locally on Pointe FM, confirming the government’s commitment to bringing the perpetrators to justice and addressing public safety concerns following the violent incident.
According to initial statements from law enforcement authorities, the two attackers – both wearing concealing masks to hide their identities – launched their assault on the service station at approximately 4:00 p.m. last Friday. The first suspect entered the station’s main retail building armed with a handgun, confronted the on-duty cashier, and made off with an undisclosed sum of cash from the facility’s registers.
Meanwhile, the second accomplice, who was armed with a high-powered rifle, remained outside at the fuel pumps. He held an attending pump employee at gunpoint, stealing a separate pouch that held all of the day’s accumulated revenue from fuel sales at the station.
After collecting the stolen funds, the pair fled the scene on foot initially, before reportedly discharging a single gunshot as they made their getaway in a dark-purple Toyota Ractis. Responding investigators who processed the crime scene shortly after the incident recovered a spent bullet casing at the location, a key piece of forensic evidence that will aid in the ongoing investigation.
Security camera footage from the service station captured the terrifying chaos of the robbery in progress, showing the outlet’s terrified employees hiding to avoid harm during the attack. One individual, overwhelmed by the stress of the ordeal, was recorded collapsing as the robbers carried out their crime. No official reports of serious gunshot injuries to staff or bystanders have been released to date, but the incident has sparked widespread concern about violent crime in the area.