According to reports this afternoon (Saturday 30th September 2023), a homeowner in Santa Cruz did not respond well to a crew from the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC), after they refused to reconnect his illegal connection which was damaged by a fallen tree branch.
The man reportedly brandished an AR-15 rifle and held the 5-member crew hostage, shortly after they discovered the electricity connection to his home was illegal. The crew members were told by the man that they were not allowed to leave the area until they reconnected the illegal line. The man is believed to have contacted other men lower down the road to stop the crew if they attempted to flee the area. Police subsequently arrived at the scene and managed to de-escalate the situation. However, the suspect escaped custody. The incident is said to have taken place around 10:15 AM, when the crew members went to Monroe Road, La Canoa, Santa Cruz, to restore electricity to the home of a legal customer whose line had been damaged by a fallen tree branch. Speaking to CCN TV6, the crew’s Supervisor, who did not want to be identified by name, explained what transpired. He said upon arriving at the site, the crew members noticed the electricity line going to the man’s home, which was also damaged by the fallen tree branch, was an illegal connection. “Obviously we would not repair illegal connections and he was telling me to reconnect his line, and I told him I can’t because it is illegal and I am seeing signs of burning on his line,” the Supervisor explained. He said at that point, the man walked off but soon after he returned with the rifle and pointed it directly at him. “He said we are not leaving here until we fix his connection. All kind of things were running through my mind, my family and everything. The only thing I could have done, I walked towards him as a distraction for the rest of the crew to make calls to the Police. While walking towards him, I was trying to reason with him and trying to appease him. I then agreed to put back the connection for him because obviously the situation changed so I agreed to reconnect him. As we started the process of reconnecting, the Police arrived and he ran off. The Police went looking for him and they didn’t find him,” he added. The Supervisor said he believed the man also made contact by phone with other men lower down the road to stop the crew if they attempted to flee the area. He noted that following the incident, T&TEC’s General Manager indicated that all crew members would have access to a rapid-response security team whenever they are required to venture into known crime hotspot areas. “That is something already in place. But we went to this area thinking it was just a routine job. We did not think this area was like that. But in speaking with the General Manager, it was indicated that once we are going to known hotspot areas, we are to leave with the security,” said the Supervisor. Investigations are continuing. More on this as it becomes available. This is a developing story - refresh this page for updates. [Source: Trinidad Express] We are a small operation. If you've found our articles to be informative, please consider supporting us via PayPal or buying us a coffee. Your contribution is incredibly appreciated and goes a long way. Simply sharing our articles also helps us. Sign up for our free WhatsApp Alerts to be notified as soon as we post breaking news. NEW! Check out our Merchandise Store for high-quality t-shirts, hats and more!
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