The Roman Catholic Church of the Archdiocese of Port of Spain is appealing for the country to pray about crime.
This after a bandit ran inside the Holy Rosary Church on the corner of Henry and Park Street, Port of Spain and donned a priest’s robe in an attempt to evade police.
According to the Archdiocese of Port of Spain, at around 10.a.m. the alleged suspect was fleeing the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) in a vehicle, when he crashed into a car near the intersection of Park and Henry Streets.
The suspect then ran into the Church, where he donned a priest’s alb (liturgical vestment) to disguise himself. But he was caught by a police officer who entered the church shortly after and detained him.
In a statement, the church said:
“The Roman Catholic Church of the Archdiocese of Port of Spain continues to pray for the crime situation in Trinidad and Tobago. We ask for the intercession of Our Lady of the Assumption; pray for us.”
According to police reports, the suspect who ran into the church was one of three who took a grey Nissan Frontier from a family in Maraval at gun point between 9.30 and 10 am.
Police officers assigned to the Belmont Police Station were alerted and responded after an all-points bulletin was issued. While chasing the van along Park Street, the officers called for assistance, which was provided by officers of the Port of Spain Division and City Police. The van was intercepted at the corner of Park and Henry Street.
After the van was stopped three men ran out, leaving their gun and one pair of black and white slippers behind. Police recovered the weapon and held one of the men near Charford Court, another along Henry Street while the third escaped.