By STACY MOORE Tuesday, February 19 2013

click on pic to zoom in

IMPOUNDED: Supt Johnny Abraham (wearing hat) looks on as a Nissan B14 car, in which a bandit, pretending to be a passenger, was fatally shot by the dr...

A MIDDAY robbery in Central Trinidad ended fatally yesterday for the bandit who fatally shot himself while attempting to rob passengers and the driver of the vehicle.

Police have since identified the dead bandit as 25-year-old Abraham Bourne of Crown Trace, Enterprise, Chaguanas. He died on arrival at the Chaguanas Health Facility. According to police reports, at about 12.30 am, Derrick Spencer was plying his car for hire along the Old Southern Main Road in Chaguanas when the incident occurred. Reports are that Bourne boarded the taxi in the Couva area. Spencer’s wife and another woman, an English national, were passengers in the vehicle at the time.

On reaching Chase Village the driver picked up two other female passengers. Police said, on reaching Chagunas, Bourne who was in the back seat of the vehicle pulled out a gun and announced a hold-up.

Police said, Bourne ordered the passengers including the driver to hand over cash. As he (the bandit) pointed the gun at Spencer, he (Spencer) pulled out a knife to try and defend himself.

A struggle ensued between the driver and the bandit durring which a loud explosion was heard. Bourne slumped in the back seat of the vehicle bleeding from a wound to his head. Bourne was taken to the Chaguanas Health Centre by police, but was declared dead on arrival.

A .38 revolver and a spent shell were recovered in the car. Spencer’s white Nissan B14 car was taken to the Chagunas Police Station.

Superintendent Johnny Abraham, Inspector Wayne Lawrence and others visited the scene. Abraham later commended Spencer for his bravery in risking his own life to save the lives of his passengers.

“Had it not been so, had the driver not displayed real bravery in the face of a gun being pointed at him, things may have been the other way around where innocent persons could have been badly wounded or killed. The weapon had other bullets in it,” Supt Abraham said.

Bourne’s body was later taken to the Forensic Science Centre, St James for an autopsy to be done.

Police yesterday warned taxi drivers to not pick up persons who appear to be acting in a suspicious manner. Officers said persons — especially men — with strange bulges at the waist of their pants or in their pockets should not be picked up since this bulge could be concealed weapons. Investigations are continuing.