GEORGE HENRY, STAR Writer

The Total service station in Spaldings, Clarendon, which was robbed by gunmen Friday night. - George Henry

Thieves went on a rampage in the usually quiet communities of Spaldings and Sanguinetti in Clarendon Friday night, robbing people and at least one business.

Inspector Clive Ramsey of the Spaldings police station said two men, armed with guns, started their criminal activities in Spaldings, just after 7 p.m., when they went to a Total service station and surprised two pump attendants on duty.

Inspector Ramsey said the men relieve the pump attendants of $11,000 in cash, as the majority of cash, representing the day's sale, was already collected by a security company.

Same description

When THE STAR visited the service station, one attendant, said the two gunmen, on entering the facility, brandished guns and demanded that they hand over the cash. When they were given the small sum, they reportedly threatened to shoot the two workers if they did not give them more money. They, however, left without hurting the pump attendants.

Half an hour later, two men, fitting the same description, held up and robbed two women at another location in Spaldings.

Brandished guns

From the report made by the women, the two robbers, who were on foot, brandished guns and demanded money, jewellery and cellular phone. They relieved the women of $20,000 and the other items but did not hurt them.

In Sanguinetti, men robbed an assistant pastor from a church in that area at about 8:45 p.m.

The church leader, who is also a teacher at a Clarendon high school, told THE STAR that he was walking from a church meeting in the dark as there was a power cut, when he reached the intersection of Minor and the Sanguinetti main roads, and was pounced upon by two men.

"Each of them had a gun and they started to search me and asked me for money and then I just started to say Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. One of them used an indecent language and said all of us know about Jesus already," said the pastor.

He said the men asked him for his cellular phone, took away his wallet, with local and foreign currencies, credit cards and other items.

The assistant pastor said the men told him to pray for them, and not say anything concerning the incident to anyone.

The church leader, who was in good spirits when THE STAR spoke with him Saturday morning, said he was thankful to God that the criminals did not harm him.