Prisoners escape from moving van; escapee flags down taxi & turns self in

Some 20 hours after two inmates escaped from a Guyana Prison Service (GPS) van while being transported to the Lusignan Prison on the East Coast of Demerara, Police Headquarters has issued a wanted bulletin for 40-year-old Keanon Harry while the other escapee Kevin Velladares flagged down a taxi and turned himself in.

Police said Velladares of Wismar, Linden, caught a taxi after escaping and went to the Brickdam Station Police in Georgetown. There, he reportedly told the police how they tampered with the lock on the moving vehicle and escaped.

The men escaped sometime between 16:00hrs and 16:10hrs on Thursday somewhere in the vicinity of Sparendaam; they were being transported from Linden, Region 10.

Approximately one hour after the escape, the News Room contacted the Director of Prisons (ag) Nicklon Elliot who said he was not aware of the incident.

The Regional Commander Senior Superintendent Khali Pareshram was also contacted and too said he had no knowledge of the incident.

The Prison Service Public Relations Officer, Rajiv Bisnauth was then contacted and he told the News Room that he was not aware of the escape since he was not at the office but promised to investigate.

Minutes later, Bisnauth in a brief statement to the local media in a Joint Services/Press WhatsApp group informed that there was no escape and “the GPS is asking media houses not to spread any false information.”

But on Friday morning at around 11:30hrs, the Head of the Police Communications Unit Mark Ramotar issued a wanted bulletin for Harry, confirming that the escape occurred.

Ramotar could not provide more details on the incident.

Harry of Kwakwani, Upper Berbice River was sentenced to one year imprisonment for drug trafficking on Thursday and was being transported to the Lusignan Prison when he made the daring escape.

A previous story by the News Room detailed that Harry was shot by a police officer during a domestic violence report in August 2021.

Anyone with information on Harry is asked to contact the police on 216 – 0251, 216 0254, 216 – 0251, 444 – 3429, 225-6978 225 8196 or the nearest police station.