Pandemonium broke out in Market Street Rose Hall Town, East Berbice Corentyne on Thursday afternoon as police exchanged gunfire with a known character.

According to reports, around 16:00hrs two patrol officers on motorcycles were passing through Market Street in Rose Hall Town and noticed Keyon Thompson aka “Mad dog” a known character acting suspiciously.

The ranks stopped their bikes, disembarked and asked Thompson to drop his beer bottle and put his hands above his head. He refused and Constable Clarkson approached him with his service revolver in hand.

At that point, Thompson hit Constable Clarkson to his jaw with the beer bottle and a scuffle ensued. The rank was again hit to his hand with the bottle resulting in him dropping his weapon.

The weapon was retrieved by Thompson and he fired several shots in the direction of the policeman, hitting the said constable in the region of his upper body; luckily the police officer was wearing his bulletproof vest and sustained only minor injuries.

Clarkson’s colleague however exchanged gunfire with the suspect and believed he was shot in the process, however, he managed to escape. The police have since launched a massive search to capture the assailant, but up to press time were unable to arrest him.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle, a shopkeeper whose shop is a few houses away from where the incident took place said she heard what appeared to be gunshots and scampered for safety.

“All I hear is pow, pow pow, me nah know where it coming from but it sound near so me run out the shop and lef everything and collect me children them and run and hide. Later me hear people seh somebody beat a policeman and tek way he gun and shoot he,” the woman recounted.

Another resident who lives opposite to where the incident took place said she was in her yard and heard several shots. She said at first she thought it was firecrackers, but after it continued she ran and hide inside of her house.

“I just hide till everything ease up cause like me didn’t know what was going on I think was a robbery, but then people was saying it was the police and a man who use to be in the house through the street.”

Antony Cunningham, who does odd jobs at the market said he was passing through the street at the time when he saw a man and a police fighting and soon after he heard what appeared to be gunshots.

“I deh going up the street just past the market and see a man and police fighting so I walk up fuh see wah going on, but as I get near I hear gunshots and the police man fall down. I run behind them stand (stalls) and hide and see the other policeman start shooting, the man run way but deh shooting all the time. Later a whole set a police pull up and start searching them houses and suh.”

The police have since launched an investigation.