This weekend sharp police work surely saved a life, maybe more than one when they intercepted three men on the move with an Uzi submachine gun.
On Saturday night the police were on patrol in the Caesar Ridge area, heading towards the Yarborough Bridge, where they saw an SUV racing in the opposite direction without headlights. Police turned around and set chase with their siren. But, instead of coming to a stop, the SUV hit another vehicle and the driver lost control, barreling into a fence.
What happened next is part cop drama, part criminal comedy - as the cops recovered a dangerous weapon and the gunman tried to escape arrest by acting like they were common workers in a nightclub:
ASP Fitzroy Yearwood, Communications Officer
"The occupants then alighted the vehicle and ran up Caesar Ridge where three of them were seen going into Club Bizzo on Queen Charlotte Street. Police pursued them where they saw a brown knapsack being thrown out of the vehicle between the fence and the crashed SUV. Once inside the club, police found persons that they were following, identified to be Mauri Leslie, Jaheem Flowers, and Charles Middleton. They then searched the bag that was thrown out of the vehicle, where they found the.9mm Calibre submachine gun and a magazine with 14 live rounds of ammunition. Both the contents of that bag and the persons were taken to the police station by members of the GI3 unit. Also in the bag, police found a hoodie jacket and warm caps and they have since arrested and charged Charles Middleton, Jaheem Flowers, and Mauri Leslie jointly for the offense of possession of prohibited firearm for the benefit of a gang, kept ammunition without a gun license and kept prohibited firearm without a gun license. police also charged Jaheem Flowers and Mauri Leslie individually for the offense of being a member of a gang."
"We are still seeking two more persons, because it was actually, the occupants that fled the vehicle was five, police managed to use non lethal weapons to stop them and they tried to deter by running into the club when police went into the club, Flowers was pretending to mop behind the bar area, he had a mop in his hand, and Middleton was found in the DJ booth, but because police had a good look at them when they exited the vehicle, they were apprehended immediately. I know that Leslie, it looks like the non lethal weapons, because they do leave bruises and cause pain, he couldn't take the pain anymore and he came out of hiding where he was immediately apprehended."
The accused men, 26 year old Charles Middleton, 26, 19 year old Jaheem Flowers, and 20 year old Maury Leslie were charged jointly with 3 criminal offenses of possession of firearm for benefit of a gang, kept prohibited firearm and kept ammunitions without a gun license and were all remanded when they appeared din court today.
