Venezuelans Remanded For Attempting to Murder Cop

November 27 2024 – Four Venezuelan nationals were remanded to prison on Tuesday, charged with the attempted murder of

Police Constable Nathaniel Gittens

during an incident on Cornhill Street, Georgetown.

The accused, identified as Victoria La Cruz, 21, a domestic worker; Gabriel Campose, 19, a labourer; Lilbeth Valasquez, 37; and Jesus Herrea, 26, also a labourer—all of Montrose, East Coast Demerara (ECD)—appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

The court did not require the defendants to enter pleas as the charge is indictable. They were remanded to custody until December 30, 2024, by Senior Magistrate Fabayo Azore.

The alleged attack occurred around 11:45 PM on Saturday, November 21, 2024.

Constable Gittens, stationed at Brickdam Police Station and attached to the Criminal Investigation Department, was on plainclothes foot patrol in the Stabroek Market area.

Gittens intervened in a heated argument between two women, one of whom, a Spanish-speaking individual, was armed with a broken bottle. As he attempted to de-escalate the confrontation and instructed the woman to drop the weapon, four men allegedly approached him from behind.

One of the attackers, reportedly armed with a knife, stabbed the officer multiple times. Despite his injuries, Gittens managed to discharge four rounds from his service firearm into the air, causing the attackers to flee.

Following the attack, an alarm was raised, and Gittens was transported to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) by an Impact Patrol team. He sustained multiple stab wounds but remains in stable condition.

The four suspects, along with the two women involved in the initial altercation, were later apprehended and taken into custody. Two of them were treated for minor injuries at the GPHC.