Two dead, policemen seriously wounded and two suspects arrested appears to be the final toll after a bloody daytime shootout on Charles Sumner Avenue in the Los Prados section of Santo Domingo. The Police were after the four men, dressed as Police officers and Army officials, after they had robbed one place and had attempted to carjack another in the same area. The armed group had assaulted taxi driver Pablo Alfonso Berroa, taken his Honda Civic. The alleged criminals were known as “Albert” and “Soso” in the Los Rios area where they lived.
In the shootout, sargeant Micaias Hernandez Abad received seven gunshot wounds to the chest, arms and legs, but managed to continue firing his own weapon. He is in very serious condition at the Central Hospital of the Armed Forces and the Police. Also wounded were sargeant major Julio Pereyra Hernandez and Carlos Gonzalez, a passerby. Pereyra and Hernandez were part of a patrol that was watching the section after a report of a series of robberies. Just minutes before the hail of bullets, the gang had tried to rob a customs agent and had taken the 9mm Glock pistol from Domingo Antonio Gomez in Arroyo Hondo. The customs agent, Rafael Mejia said that the group had tried to take his Lexus SUV while he was stopped by the Royal Pharmacy on Charles Sumner. Gomez’ mother four children and his brother were in the car at the time. Gomez said that when they shot at his car he stepped on the gas and got away. At that moment the Police arrived. As the Honda was stopped by at least eight shots and the suspects were being searched, one of them began shooting, wounding Hernandez who continued to shoot and managed to wound at least one of them.
The Police said that the group had robbed banks, corner stores and several vehicles and was being looked for all over Santo Domingo.