Trinidad: Taxi driver and female passenger shot during carjacking in Laventille

Trinidad and Tobago: A taxi driver and a female passenger were shot during a carjacking on Eastern Main Road in Laventille, Trinidad, on Friday night. Both survived and were hospitalized in stable condition.

According to police reports, the incident took place on Friday, at around 8:40 p.m., when the taxi driver was operating his silver Nissan AD Wagon along Laventille Road with a female passenger seated in the front. 

Reportedly, while operating the taxi the driver stopped the vehicle near 42nd Street, Laventille for a while when suddenly one man known to the driver by sight approached the taxi and entered the back seat of the vehicle.

After entering the back seat, the man told the driver that another passenger was also coming and they all started waiting for him. Moments later, a second suspect who was armed with a firearm came and reportedly walked up to the driver’s side door. 

Upon approaching the driver’s side, the armed suspect started shouting “Don’t move! Don’t move” following which the driver sped off the vehicle fearing for the safety of him and the female passenger. The suspects then fired some shots at the moving vehicle, breaking the glass window of the driver’s side. 

During the shooting, both the victims suffered gunshot wounds as the driver was shot to his right arm, while the female passenger was shot in the right shin, but somehow managed to escape the scene. After that they made their way to the Port of Spain General Hospital where they were initially treated and were listed in stable condition. 

Officers were then contacted at the hospital where they were reported about the incident. Since then the officers have launched their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident and later processed the vehicle at the hospital.

The officers also recovered a projectile lodged inside the driver’s door. Personnel also went to the location of the incident from where they recovered two spent 9mm shell casings from the roadway. 

Authorities stated that officers are now actively continuing their investigation and are trying to locate and identify the suspects. The officers further disclosed that the woman has been discharged from the hospital, while the driver remained under medical assessment.

Investigations into the shooting are ongoing and further details will be provided when it becomes available.