A coordinated multi-divisional police operation has resulted in the arrest of eight suspects linked to a violent daylight robbery that left a 56-year-old woman injured and relieved of more than $22,000 in cash outside a popular Maraval eatery this week. The brazen attack, which unfolded in full view of the public near Adam’s Bagels along Saddle Road on Tuesday, was widely circulated on social media after being captured on closed-circuit television, prompting law enforcement to launch an urgent manhunt for the perpetrators.
Assistant Superintendent Owie Russell officially confirmed the arrests during a press briefing held at the Port of Spain Police Administration Building on Wednesday, outlining the step-by-step sequence of the crime and the subsequent investigation that led to the suspects being taken into custody. According to Russell’s official account, the victim had just withdrawn $22,000 in cash from a local bank at approximately 3:10 p.m. on the day of the attack. She then drove her white Kia Sportage to the Adam’s Bagels location, parked in the establishment’s public parking lot, and entered the restaurant for a short visit.
It was at 3:37 p.m., as the woman returned to her parked vehicle, that three assailants exited a silver Nissan Tiida and moved quickly to intercept her. The attackers struck the victim multiple times before forcefully snatching her black handbag, which held the full $22,000 in withdrawn cash, an iPhone 12 smartphone, and three personal bank cards. Having seized the property, the three robbers immediately fled back to their waiting Tiida and sped away southbound along Saddle Road.
Within minutes of the attack, witnesses alerted the St Clair Police Station, and law enforcement wasted no time in launching a large-scale response operation, Russell explained. The investigation drew resources from three separate police divisions: the Port of Spain Division, the Western Division, and the North Eastern Division, which provided critical supporting assistance to the lead teams.
During the operation, officers first intercepted a black Honda City carrying four people along Morne Coco Road in Petit Valley, in the vicinity of Yogi Drive. All four men inside the vehicle were taken into custody immediately, and by the end of Wednesday, a total of eight suspects between the ages of 19 and 39 were in police custody, all assisting authorities with their ongoing inquiry.
Investigators later tracked the silver Nissan Tiida believed to be the getaway vehicle to a location along North Coast Road, directly opposite Maracas Bay. When officers located the car, it had been stripped of its battery, likely in an attempt to prevent it from being traced and driven by law enforcement. Inside the abandoned vehicle, the team recovered the victim’s missing handbag, along with a purse and multiple personal documents belonging to her. The vehicle has since been seized as evidence for the ongoing case.
Russell confirmed the widespread law enforcement operation was approved by Western Division Senior Superintendent Williams, with on-the-ground coordination led by Superintendent Archibald, Acting Assistant Superintendent Besant, Acting Inspector Perry, and Acting Sergeant Dominique. In addition to the cross-divisional investigative support, the operation included personnel from the Western Division Gang and Intelligence Unit, the Port of Spain Gang and Intelligence Unit, the North Eastern Division Task Force, the West End Police Station, and the North Eastern Division Crime Scene Unit, reflecting the high priority placed on solving the violent public attack.