Wanted man nabbed by cops in St Catherine

The St Catherine North police have detained one man who they say has been on their radar in relation to various crimes.

The man, who the police say goes by the alias Clansy, was captured during an early morning raid in the Morgan's Lane community of Old Harbour on Thursday. The police say Clansy will be questioned in the presence of his lawyers.

Acting on intelligence, a team of officers descended on two premises and the suspect was found in one of the buildings. A Tech 9 semi-automatic pistol was also recovered.

According to the police, the suspect's cronies tried to distract the lawmen by firing gunshots wildly. One senior police source told THE WEEKEND STAR that the officers stuck to the operation, with members of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) providing backup. Some residents, however, complained that they were harassed by the soldiers.

Kick off door

"Dem come this morning, kick off door, shoot up the place. A pure gunshot. Why the soldier dem a fire gunshot like a shoot-out? Why the soldier dem wicked so?" asked one resident who was supported by others. However, the residents' claims were strongly refuted by head of the St Catherine North Police Division Senior Superintendent Howard Chambers.

"It was in fact the residents who tried to obstruct the police in their operations by blocking the road, while cronies elsewhere fired random shots to distract the police," he said. Chambers said that members of the JDF were able to clear the road on their arrival while the lawmen stuck to the task at hand and carried out a successful operation.