Two bandits pounced on University of
Guyana lecturer Freddie Kissoon yesterday morning
near his Hadfield Street home and drove away in his
vehicle.
Kissoon was treated at a city
hospital and received stitches for wounds to his
head while two of his fingers were broken as a
result of the struggle. His car was found abandoned
in Charlestown three hours later.
Recounting the incident after
returning home from the hospital, Kissoon said that
unlike most Saturdays when he usually left home a
bit late he had decided to visit the National Park
with his wife Janet.
He said his SUV (sports utility
vehicle) was parked in his mother-in-law's garage
that is opposite his home. At around 6 am, Kissoon
said, he went to her garage, opened the car door and
started the engine before climbing in.
Once inside and with the door still
open, Kissoon said he felt someone tap him on the
shoulder and he turned around to see an armed
robber.
"Without thinking I knocked the
gun away and attempted to flee the vehicle. Then I
received a lash to my head. A struggle then ensued
between me and the armed man. He dealt me another
lash to the head with the gun but I managed to slip
past him and made a dash when the other man cornered
me. I received yet another lash and they got in my
vehicle and started driving away."
Kissoon said that he attempted to
stop the vehicle by holding onto one of the back
door handles but the men drove away. It was then he
raised an alarm alerting neighbours.
Kissoon said that he immediately
alerted the police and search parties were sent out,
in addition to the heightened police presence on the
East Bank and East Coast Public Roads. Relatives
also joined in the search for the vehicle.
He said that his young nephew later
found the car abandoned in Charlestown and the
police were called. However, his attackers are still
on the run.
Kissoon said that it did not appear
to have been a planned robbery. He reasoned that the
men were passing at the time and saw an opportunity
so they tried something.
He said that had the men been
following his daily routine they would have known
that he seldom left home early on Saturday mornings.
Kissoon described the attack as
"funny" and said his late-night walks on
the seawall and early morning strolls in the
National Park had always been trouble-free.
He said that coming from a
background of adventure and struggles, the incident
had not traumatised him. Kissoon pointed out that he
is yet to sit and analyse every aspect of the
incident before reasoning on it conclusively.
That was the first time Kissoon was
attacked. He said that he has lived on Hadfield
Street most of his life.
Last Thursday morning three armed
men stormed into a Hadfield Street home and carted
off $1M in articles.