Police released information to the news media Wednesday concerning two armed robberies two days earlier in which identical descriptions were given of the assailants, said to have been traveling in a black jeep-type vehicle and brandishing a shotgun.
According to a release, Tim Cook, a Red Hook resident, reported that Monday, Aug. 17, shortly after 6 p.m., while he was waiting for a ride across from Bolongo Bay Resort, two males in a black jeep pulled up and demanded money of him. When he said he had none with him, the passenger pointed a shotgun at him and again demanded money. Cook said he then handed over $80 from his pocket and they drove off.
The second incident occurred about an hour and a half later, police said. Pedro Junior Gonzalez, a Nadir resident, reported that while he was using a pay telephone near the Dona Mart on Brookman Road, a black jeep carrying two males pulled up beside him and the driver got out and began to punch him in the face while the passenger pointed a shotgun at him. Gozalez said he fell to the ground and the assailant took $30 from his pocket, then walked away, displaying what appeared to be a 9 mm handgun at the small of his back.
The occupants of the jeep were described in both cases as black males. No further details were available. Police asked that anyone with information relevant to the cases call 774-4050 or 774-2233.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Aug. 17, police arrested Michael Lewis of Contant on a warrant charging him with first-degree murder and unauthorized possession of a firearm. The charges are in connection with the shooting death of Mackellis George on Sept. 29, 1998. Lewis was being held at the Golden Grove Correctional Facility.
