Car theft turns ugly for youths

Carjacking ends in disaster … Paramedics from the St John Ambulance service in Port Moresby attending to two wounded suspects (pictured left and right) after an exchange of gunfire with police yesterday following an alleged carjacking incident. Another suspect, who is lying next to the right rear wheel of the stolen dark blue CRV, reportedly died. However, there were no external wounds on the dead person to justify him being shot. Two others fled on foot when they were cornered near the Tokam Police Barracks

at Waigani. – Nationalpic by EKAR KEAPU

 

By ANGELINE KARIUS

 

A SUSPECT is dead while two others suffered gunshot wounds in a shootout with police outside the Tokam Police Barracks in Port Moresby yesterday, The National reports.

The three were part of a gang believed to have stolen a dark-blue CRV, registration BCF 474, at Gerehu yesterday afternoon.

Police gave chase from the university roundabout at about 2pm.

Police reportedly returned fire after the suspects began shooting, wounding two in the process, one died after being cornered and disarmed while two others fled the scene.

Police could not confirm whether the man who died at the scene was shot.

The five men were caught when their getaway vehicle ran off the road and into a ditch along Cormorant Street, opposite the Boreboa Primary School after crashing into several other vehicles, including a police double-cab utility.

The shootout attracted hundreds of people from the neighbourhood with police directing traffic at the intersection between Cormorant and Pitpit streets in the North Waigani area.

Several support units from police stations around Port Moresby responded to the carjacking when the matter was reported and relayed on police radio.

NCD metropolitan commander Supt Joseph Tondop could not be reached for comments.