Taxi driver recounts harrowing experience at hands of bandits

By Jillica Pinder

Twenty-four-year-old Jonathan Gordon is alleging that he was beaten and robbed on Wednesday morning while plying his trade as a taxi driver attached to the Gem’s Taxi Service.

Gordon, speaking during an interview with Guyana Times International on Thursday, said that the incident occurred at 12:30h when he stopped to pick up three male passengers who were destined for Lamaha Springs, Greater Georgetown.

He said that on his way to that location, one of the passengers asked to be dropped off at Mandela Avenue and Meadow Brook Drive and he complied with the request.

When the first man exited the vehicle, he came over to the driver’s window and started looking for change. He then told his friend that he did not have change and that he should pay.

Gordon stated that as he turned to collect the cash from the second person who was on his left side in the front seat of his vehicle, the man on the outside of the vehicle leaned in, turned off the car, and took the key out of the ignition after which he proceeded to punch Gordon about his face.

The young man stated that the third man who was sitting behind him reached forward and held him in a chokehold.

After the beating, the group tied his hands together and pulled his shirt up to cover his face.

The man who had previously exited the vehicle returned, started the car, and drove off with Gordon tied and held hostage in his own vehicle.

He said he heard one of the men mention that they were going into B Field Sophia.

He added that the man who was sitting on his left told him that he would be shot if he moved or made any noise.

Gordon further mentioned that a fourth person later joined the vehicle after some time.

He suggested that this new assailant might be someone he knew or someone who knew him, as he was very keen on making sure that he was properly bound and that the t-shirt was fixed properly on his face before he entered the vehicle, and told the men to cut the seatbelts and secure his legs also.

The group, at gunpoint, asked him for money. He told them the money was in the car and that was all he had. He stated that one of the persons told him to “walk with more money next time”, if he knew what was good for him.

After another severe beating, the men then proceeded to throw him over a fence before driving away. Gordon said that he did not move until he was sure that the men were gone, after which he untied himself and removed the blindfold.

He noted that that was when he realised he was at Ogle on the East Coast of Demerara. Gordon said he walked to a nearby Shell Gas Station, explained to the security guard what happened, and asked him for a phone call.

The guard then told him that they should have killed him and refused to lend him a phone.

He shared that he then made his way along the seawall, intending to head to town when he saw a Police patrol and flagged them down. After he explained the situation, the officers dropped him at the East La Penitence Police Outpost as the incident had happened out of their jurisdiction.

An investigation of the matter is ongoing.