The bag used to pack the items.
Two male bandits invaded the home of a Grand Riviere, Gros Islet family Tuesday afternoon, leaving with two pieces of gold jewelry and several chops about their bodies.
Maria James told St. Lucia News Online (SNO) that she and her daughters, a 14-year-old and two-year-old, had just arrived home at about 5 p.m Tuesday when the family was attacked.
James said her husband had locked the gates and was taking a few bags up the steps when he was confronted by one of the bandits, who had a gun in his possession.
The distraught woman told SNO that the gunman came up behind her husband and pushed him inside the house and told them “nobody moves.”
According to her the other bandit was hiding downstairs, and within minutes, came to the front door and was keeping watch. Both men were dressed in black and covered their faces with t-shirts.
They demanded that her husband take off his ring and her 14 -year-old daughter take off her earring. They complied and the bandits placed it in their pockets.
“My children were like crying and terrified because he was pointing the gun at my children and me. He then demanded us to give up all the cash and asking for gold,” she explained.
The family’s wine cabinet which was ransacked by the bandits.
James said she told the bandits that they didn’t have any cash in the house. The bandits then demanded that the family bring out all the valuables, including tablets and other electronics.
He even proceeded to take out a few bottles of liquor from her cabinet and placed it in a bag. If that wasn’t enough, the bandits even demanded that James’ husband take off his shoes.
After packing the bag, one of the bandits took James’ husband with him to search the bedroom. It was at this point that James’ husband was able to defend his family.
James said her husband reached for a cutlass that he usually keeps underneath their mattress and dealt him a few chops about his body.
“My husband always has a cutlass under his mattress. When he started chopping him, he (the bandit) ran outside and ran over the other bandit,” according to the Grand Riviere woman.
James related that her husband moved swiftly behind him, but he ran away. He even dealt the other bandit a few chops and one major one to his back. Both bandits escaped by foot.
The police responded within minutes, but by then the bandits were nowhere close to the premises. The police will be searching for fingerprints on the bottles of rum that were left behind.
The distraught woman said the bandits were chopped so severely that they may need to seek medical attention. The police are hoping that they do, so that they can have them arrested.
Asked how she feels about the entire situation, James said: “That is so terrifying. I can’t even sleep. I never expected something like that would happen. I have to seek some counseling for my teenage daughter, she is very terrified.”
James told SNO that the community is not usually known to have robberies, but rumours have been circulating that people are being robbed almost several times a day at Union Road.
The Grand Riviere family is thankful that they were not hurt, especially their children. They are hopeful that the bandits will be brought to justice.