The Tribune

By TRIBUNE STAFF
REPORTER

AN heroic kitchen worker tackled a man armed with a hand-held machine gun during a brazen restaurant robbery in which three British ex-pats had a $20,000 Rolex and a $2,000 gold ring stolen.

Staff at the upmarket Island Brothers café and restaurant, outside Lyford Cay, fled for their lives when a balaclava-clad gunman, dressed all in black, entered the premises through a back door at 10pm on Saturday evening.

As one brave worker grabbed the nozzle of the weapon and grappled with the gunman, he yelled at his colleagues to run and they fled through the restaurant and out into the street, leaving the few remaining diners stunned at the commotion.

The gunman then entered the restaurant and pointed the gun, said to be similar to a MAC-10, a compact American submachine-gun capable of very rapid fire, directly at three young British friends waiting at a corner table to pay their bill. Unbeknown to them at the time, a second gunman was waiting outside the front of the building.

As two of the men moved towards the door, the third sat paralysed to the spot with the gun pointed directly at his chest.

Recounting the terrifying ordeal, the man, who asked not to be named, recalled:

“The gunman was wearing a ski mask and had the gun basically pointed directly at my chest. He was young, maybe around 20, slim, maybe 5ft 10’, and in truth, he looked pretty terrified. I didn’t want to do anything to freak him out, so I just did as he asked.

“I could see it in his eyes that he was scared, and I was just thinking, in my head, if he’s scared, and he’s not calm, he’s in a position right now to be trigger-happy, and pull that trigger and shoot me. It looked like he had no idea what he was doing and he was petrified despite him being the one to have to have the gun.

“He just kind of said like, ‘give it me, give it me…’ at first I had no idea what he was referring to, like my wallet or whatever. I’d kind of forgotten I had my watch on my wrist. I said ‘give you, give you what?’ And he goes, ‘your wrist, your wrist.’ And then he goes, ‘your watch.’ I slowly unclipped my watch, a Rolex, and handed it to him. Then he noticed my gold ring and demanded that, so I gave it to him and said no problem, no problem.

“It felt almost surreal, like, you know, in the movies, it seems more dramatic, it just seems so surreal that it’s happening. I was almost thinking, is the gun real? I think it was. That’s all that ran through my head. I didn’t for a minute think of trying to be a hero or anything like that. I just tried to stay calm and do what he asked me to do. Then I kind of just put my hands up and I slowly walked towards the door.

“All this happened within the space of a minute. When it was happening it felt like a lifetime. It felt like I was getting robbed for like ten minutes, but it was literally ten seconds. I would describe these men as cowards. In a way, it’s lucky it was us as we all stayed pretty calm. It could have had bad consequences if it had been someone else who might have panicked.”

The man rejoined his waiting friends and they ran out into the car park and hid behind their vehicle.

A second gunman, bizarrely wearing a bright orange top and a red shirt or scarf tied around his face, was also briefly in the restaurant. They ran out and jumped into a white Nissan Note, driven by a third accomplice, which left at speed in the direction of the Mt Pleasant Village area.

One of the victim’s colleagues said they were later told the pin of the gun had actually gone off at least twice during the struggle with the kitchen worker, an Hispanic man, so whether it misfired or wasn’t loaded, he was not sure.

“It sounds like he was very brave tackling the gunman,” said one. “We’ve heard that the assailant, the guy in black, actually tried to pull the trigger and just the clicking sound went off, insinuating that perhaps the gun may not have been loaded, but it was a real gun.”

A black handbag containing $50 in cash and some documentation was also stolen during the raid.

Part of the drama, caught on a security camera of one of the victim’s vehicles, was handed over to police.

The victims said they regularly frequented Island Brothers and this was the first time there had ever been even a hint of trouble.

“It is a shame because this sort of thing does make you think twice about where you go to eat on the island,” said one of the men, “and maybe you’re safer inside a hotel or casino complex.”

FNM Deputy Leader Shanendon Cartwright issued a statement last night, saying: “The most recent reports of a robbery at a restaurant in the western district of New Providence in the St James constituency continues to highlight the need and necessity for stronger police presence and engagement.

“Over the last year and a half residents have seen an increase in criminal activity including murders and robberies in both the most western and southwestern portions of the constituency.

“Residents have been calling for more patrols and engagement with crime watch associations and an overall crime strategy for the surrounding communities. There is currently the Carmichael Road and Airport police station that covers the constituency from McKinney Ave on its eastern border to South Ocean Blvd on its western side. An assessment must be done to determine if this is sufficient to meet the needs of the ongoing development and safety and security infrastructure of St James.”