POLICE in the St Andrew North Division believe they have nabbed the last two suspects of a gang of four who held up a police constable at gunpoint along a main road near Milk River, Clarendon last Friday.

According to head of crime for the division, Inspector Altermoth 'Parra' Campbell, the two - who both hail from Red Hills in St Andrew - were arrested during a spot check in that community on Saturday night.

A relative of one of the men was also arrested and charged with illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Campbell said that the men are believed to be those who narrowly escaped death when the constable, who had stopped to take a break at the side of the road, opened fire killing their cronies in the botched robbery attempt.

According to Constable Camay Watson, Constabulary Communication Network liaison officer for Clarendon, shortly after 11:00 pm, the four men pulled up behind the constable's car, two of them brandished guns and ordered that he hand over his car keys and money.

The constable, however, refused and opened fire hitting the two. The others, the police said, sped off leaving the dying men behind.

One of the dead men, police said, had earlier that day had his bail extended when he appeared in the Half-Way-Tree Resident Magistrate's court on charges of illegal possession of firearm and robbery with aggravation.

"We believe that it was these same men who tried to rob the policeman. We also believe that they are the same persons who have been carrying out a string of robberies, rapes and other gun crimes in sections of Red Hills, Lawrence Tavern and other areas in the division," said Campbell.

Campbell said the men, who were stopped in the a blue Toyota Corolla motor car similar to the one used in the attack on the lawman, were on Sunday taken to Red Hills where one of the dead man's house was searched.

"During that search army fatigue and other uniforms like those used by the (Jamaica Constabulary Force) Mobile Reserve were found," Campbell told the Observer.

He said that an uncle of one of the deceased was arrested after he was seen leaving the premises with a suspicious-looking bag which allegedly contained a home-made shotgun loaded with a live round.