By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

TWO men are wanted in connection with a shoot-out with police which resulted in the arrest of a third man and damage to a police vehicle.

According to Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Stephen Dean, the incident occurred shortly after 8.30pm Monday when officers with the Mobile Unit on routine patrol in the Market Street area identified a car operating in a “suspicious” manner.

He said police pursued the vehicle through several side streets, ultimately bringing it to a stop on King Street where two men got out of the vehicle and exchanged gunfire with police.

Senior ACP Dean said those two men later eluded officers on foot, but a third suspect was captured.

That man was taken into custody where he is now being questioned about his involvement in the matter.

“Police were able to capture one of the males in the vehicle and got a loaded handgun from him,” Senior ACP Dean told reporters Tuesday.”We are still looking for those two persons, we can tell you that during the process, the police vehicle was damaged by gunshots.”

He continued: “We want to thank our officers for their courageous efforts because it could have been much worse for our officers. This just shows the complexity of the crime we are dealing with out there, that our officers are under constant threat, in some cases, danger; but in most cases we are prepared for such situations because our officers are well trained for these types of situation.

“So we can say to the criminal element: ‘Don’t take chances at the police. Don’t take your chances at the police.’ The police are well trained to respond to such incidents. We continue to warn persons who get involved in crime. 

“We continue to talk to parents, we continue to talk to family members of… children who are involved in crime, they are causing great havoc on our communities by using firearms and in some cases causing the death of individuals, causing the death of family members; causing the death of their friends in some cases.”

Senior ACP Dean also said newly appointed Commissioner Anthony Ferguson has “hit the ground running.” He stressed the new police chief had already held meetings with the force’s senior executive leadership and presented senior personnel with their mandates.

Commissioner Ferguson on Monday became the seventh person to ascend to that office, succeeding Ellison Greenslade who has been appointed High Commissioner to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and permanent representative to the International Maritime Organisation.

Meanwhile the investigation into Monday’s incident continues. Anyone with information on this incident or any crime is asked to call police at 919 or Crime Stoppers at 328-TIPS.