T e n e r i f e ’ s f a v o u r i t e b r i t i s h w e e k ly n e w s p a p e r Issue 720 9 September - 15 September 2011
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Money-exchange shops are targeted by masked bandit
Hero shopkeeper shot as he sees off gunman A BRAVE, 58-year-old British businessman, who faced up to an armed robber in his shop, was shot in the arm in Playa de Las Americas on Tuesday.
The frightening incident happened at the money-exchange shop Premier UK Excursions, in Paseo de Las Tosqueras, at the back of the hotel Vulcano. Proprietor Dennis showed enormous courage by standing up to the raider and, ultimately, sending him packing empty-handed. He was taken to the Green Hospital in Las Americas for treatment to a bullet wound in his arm and released shortly afterwards. This incident is, unfortunately, the latest in a series of similar events within the south of Tenerife. Police believe the same person has been responsible each time. He has always been armed, but this is the first occasion he has resorted to firing the hand gun. In the past, he has simply used the weapon to threaten his victims. Recounting the latest incident, Dennis said he had just opened the shop, and was setting up when he saw the assailant approaching. “I saw the guy about to enter the shop,” he said. “I closed the desk, stood up and thought, ‘he’s going to rob me’.” Dennis who by his own admission is not tiny, confronted the robber, who was shouting and took a gun out of a bag. Remarkably, the shopkeeper kept his nerve. He had a closed bottle of bleach on his desk, which he threw at him, but the gunman shot him when Dennis raised his arm. Despite the shock of being wounded, he then threw a leaflet holder at him to put him off further, and the gun fell to the floor, going off again. But Dennis persisted and threw something else at him. With that, the would-be robber picked up his gun
and fled, turning right out of the shop towards Parque Santiago3/5. It is thought he entered the Safari Centre. Dennis, a Brummie who has lived in Tenerife for 12 years and has two offices, said: “Nothing like this has happened to me before, but I’m not shocked. It’s just one of those things.” His attacker, said to be in his 30s, is about 1.75 metres tall. He was wearing a hat, dark glasses and a dust mask. He apparently took a taxi from near the scene and the driver, believed to carry a camera in his vehicle as a warning to fare dodgers, is said to have taken snapshots of his passenger. Soraida Perez, a 31-year-old who works at a bazaar in the shopping centre where Premier is based, said she heard shouts from the shop. “I thought it strange and went to look at what was happening,” she said. “I heard shots when I was in the doorway and saw the bleach bottle flying through the air. I then saw the person fleeing.” The witness, still shocked by the incident, said she did not think twice but chased after the attacker to try to catch him up. Meanwhile, other shopkeepers threw chairs and other objects at the assailant to try to prevent him escaping. At one point, he fell and then someone noticed he was carrying a gun. “At that point, I realised the danger I was in and ran away,” admitted Soraida. Police are well aware that this is at least the third such incident of this kind, this year in the general area. In March, the Travel Shop in Los Cristianos was held up by a gunman and robbed. Then, on 13th July, the gunman struck at the Oasis Money Exchange in the Pasarella commercial centre, also in Los Cristianos. The attacker hit a British female staff member over the head and helped himself to about 1,400 euros before making his escape. The man has been identified by witnesses, but up until now remains on the loose.
Pic: La Opinion