DT reader recalls chilling robbery

This is the report of a robbery at gunpoint that occurred on Tuesday 29th of May 2012. My wife, our two sons of 8 and 10 and me were travelling on 29th of May 2012 around 5.30 AM from Santo Domingo direction Bonao around 10 to 15km passed Villa Altagracia driving on the right lane with a speed of around 110km/hr. (Auto Pista Pablo Duarte-Highway nr 1) My wife was driving our car while the children were back seated and me in the passenger seat. Most likely we were closed in by a car without lights as we never saw them coming.

When this car, an unmarked Mitsubishi Montero or also known as Native color gray metallic, came driving next to us the main lights came on and somebody pointed a light torch, through the open window on the passenger side, towards our car while holding a revolver in the other hand yelling police and ordering us to pull over. Not knowing if we would pull over we were eventually forced by their aggressive movements to stop on the right shoulder.

The four persons in the car were wearing police uniforms and had PN caps and body armor. Three were armed with revolvers which looked like FN 9mm and the fourth had a 12”shotgun. My wife asked for their ID’s which they refused to show. At that time it became obvious to us that it was a robbery.

My wife and I were forced at gunpoint to leave our car. Leaving the car my wife took instinctively the car keys and purse with her. My wife was ordered behind the car and at gunpoint forced to hand over her purse with cash, telephone, bankcards, credit cards and other personal belongings while I was on the right passenger side also at gunpoint forced to hand over my watch.

After this they unsuccessfully ordered and tried to push me to sit in the rear seat at right side and next to my children. Instinctively it crossed my mind that they tried to kidnap us. At the same time they ordered my wife at the rear of the car to hand over the car keys which she refused. They started yelling that she would be shot if she did not hand over the keys and it was only when she was struck with a gun on her head that she gave the keys and leaving her clothes torn apart. At that time a conversation between the robbers showed my wife that they wanted to take our children.

Instinctively she came from behind the car and jumped via the right rear door were I was hold at gunpoint over into the driver seat thinking if I sit here you cannot take the car and they have to force me out. At that time they all ran to their car and disappeared into the darkness leaving us without car keys.

We stopped the first car that passed who called police. When the police arrived my wife made a short verbal statement and we start together with the police, looking in front of the for the car keys which were found after a minute being thrown under our car. We followed the police patrol to the Villa Altagracia police station were they recorded our statement.

A medical report was made up at a local medical clinic for our minor injuries. At the end we were interviewed by the local prosecutor about the content of our statement.

I am European and living with family in Santo Domingo for the last 8 years.