Four arrested in Sint Maarten after Scotia Bank armed robbery

Police in St Maarten have arrested four suspects following an armed robbery at Scotia Bank in Simpson Bay.

And after one drew a weapon, police were forced to shoot, and 30 minutes later all four were in custody.

Officers were flooded with emergency calls shortly after 9am on Friday, and discovered that armed robbers forced access to the bank while threatening workers and members of the public.

An undisclosed amount of cash was taken.

Following the robbery, police called on off-duty officers to search for the getaway vehicles and a silver Hyundai was spotted without a licence plate.

A high speed chase commenced, ending when the suspects abandoned the car and fled the scene.

Suspect shot

While being chased along Simpson Bay Beach, one of the suspects pulled a high-powered assault rifle – later identified as an AK-47 – from under his shirt and aimed it at the officer in pursuit.

The policeman fired back, hitting the suspect who then dropped his weapon. He also dropped a handgun during the chase.

Both weapons have been confiscated, and the suspect transferred to Sint Maarten Medical Center for treatment.

The Police Force of Sint Maarteen said: “The search for the other suspects turned into a massive operation in the Simpson Bay and Cole Bay areas consisting of police patrols, custom department, coastguard and the Gendarmes on the French.

“Due to the great working cooperation between these departments within less than a half an hour three other suspects were arrested in this case.

“During these arrests a bag containing a large amount of cash that was stolen from the bank was found and confiscated for further investigation.”

Police chief Carl John said is was “very proud and commends his police officers for a job well done and demonstrating their level of professionalism”.

He also thanked all the organisations involved in the operation.