Man tries to steal while gunman robs RiteWay

A bystander who tried to make off with money that spilled from a gunman’s bag during a robbery was hauled before the Magistrate’s Court yesterday for attempted theft.

Trumayne Daway pleaded guilty to the charge when he appeared before Senior Magistrate Tamia Richards.

After she heard the facts of the case, the senior magistrate urged the 25-year-old to get psychological help.

“Obviously, you have impulse control issues. In the middle of a robbery where the person has a gun – which was made to kill – you see $100 drop and your only thought is to steal it… Something is wrong with you,” Magistrate Richards told Daway.

“You could have gotten yourself killed!” she added.

“That’s why police thought you had something to do with it (the robbery) because that’s crazy… Even in the face of death, you couldn’t resist. I would have probably fainted.”

The prosecution reported that, about 7:40pm on April 19, a masked gunman entered the front door of RiteWay Food Market in Road Town.

He approached the cashier with a bag and demanded that it be filled with cash.

While the cashier put money into the bag, Daway entered the store.

Daway was ‘very calm and smiling’ during the armed robbery, the prosecution reported.

He reportedly stepped on a $100 bill that had fallen from the gunman’s bag, and tried to slide away with it.

The armed robber, in the meantime, left the establishment and disappeared.

The robbery was reported to police who, during their investigation, retrieved surveillance footage from the supermarket.

‘The person point the gun at me’

Police subsequently visited Daway’s Huntums Ghut residence and executed a search warrant on the premises. Daway was arrested.

During a police interview, Daway admitted that he tried to steal the $100 bill. Subsequently, he was charged.

In court, Daway wept.

“I sorry I did this…It was a stupid act. Is a dumb act I made,” he said while he sobbed.

Daway told the court that he ran out of the store when he initially saw the gunman, but he returned shortly after.

That was when he stepped on the fallen note, which he didn’t get a chance to keep.

“The person [then] point the gun at me… It was the dumbest move I ever make,” Daway told the court.

Magistrate Tamia Richards then granted Daway $45,000 bail and ordered him to get counselling.

He is scheduled to return to court on July 14.