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2- PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, Oct. 25, 1994 mm Lat ae ei ai "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" BANK ROBBERY ENDS IN EXPLOSION OF Bystanders flee as bullets fly at plaza From Page 1 with obstruction of justice. The arrests ended a 12-hour manhunt which began in Port Perry just after 7:30 p.m. Two bandits opened fire, shooting five people, including three police officers, in the Port Perry Plaza after the robbery of the Bank of Montreal. It was the first time since 1975 that a Durham Regional Police officer has been shot in the line of duty. Durham Regional Police Constables Warren Ellis and Mark McConkey were both shot in the head from close range as they confronted the bandits as they headed towards the south end of the plaza. Neither was able to fire a shot. Constable Ellis, 28, a five- year veteran, who was not scheduled to work that evening, had made a three-day shift change with a colleague. He was taken by ambulance crews from the scene and transferred to. Sunnybrook Medical Centre, where he underwent surgery to remove bullet fragments which were lodged between his brain and skull. He is listed in fair condition. Archie Ewing Jr,, a driver for Comfort Ride Taxi of Port Perry, was just returning to his dispatch office when he heard gunshots and turned to see a policeman fall beside his car. Mr. Ewing yelled to Constable McConkey to get in the taxi, in which he drove him to the hos- pital in Port Perry. Constable McConkey, a 27- year veteran with the force, was shot in the face, suffering a fractured jaw. He is listed in fair condition at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. Detective Paul Mooy, got out of his cruiser and managed to fire one shot at the fleeing ban- dits, before he too was struck. Detective Mooy, who suttered a wound to his arm, underwent surgery and is listed in fair condition. He was scheduled for more surgery yesterday morning (Monday). The shooting spree began after a robbery at the Bank of Montreal turned sour. Manager Alan Knight was the first to be wounded when the bandits shot him in the leg after he said he did not know the combination to the bank's vault. A fifth party, Debbie Taylor, 41, suffered wounds to her shoulder after stray bullet frag- ments struck her inside the office of Sutton Real Estate, some 400 yards from the scene. She was sitting at a desk typing when the bullets hit the window she was sitting in front of. Durham Regional Police were called to the bank at 7:30p.m. to a robbery in progress. Constables Ellis and McConkey and Detective Mooy arrived at the same time in two separate cars. As they entered the plaza they saw two men carrying white bags running towards the south end of the plaza. The uniformed officers did not have a chance to draw their weapons or even leave their cruiser when they were both struck in the head. Det. Mooy was shot in the arm moments after leaving his vehicle. Witnesses say anywhere between eight to 15 shots were fired by the fleeing bandits. Shell casings and blood littered the parking lot from end to end. Several witnesses were caught in the crossfire and took cover in vehicles and stores. The suspects fled through the Borelia Coop, where they left the left the scene on bicycles. Moments later the two broke into a Major Street home, hold- ing Marjorie Pearce, 74, hostage for more than 20 minutes. When J. PETER HVIDSTEN / PORT PERRY STAR A Ontario Provincial Police officer, clad in bullet proof vest and shotgun at the ready, keeps his eyes open at the corner of 7A and #12 Highways at Manchester, where roadblocks had been set up for the two armed suspects. RL J. PETER HVIDSTEN / PORT PERRY STAR Ambulance attendants rush a Durham Regional Police officer, gunned down by two fleeing bank robbers, to a waiting ambulance following an armed robbery at the Port Perry Branch of the Bank of Montreal last Thursday night. her husband Harry returned home from a walk, the bandits forced Mr. Pearce to drive them to Community Memorial Hospital. The bandits left Mr. Pearce and his van at the hos- pital and left the scene in a red IROC Camaro. "At that time they left the area and we got information from residents which led us in the right direction," according to Staff Sergeant Sandy Ryrie of the Durham Regional Police. Police, canine units and tac- tical units from Durham, OPP, Peel and Metro descended on the scene, tracking the suspects on foot, in cars and by air. Road blocks with armed police officers were set up at most major exits from the township. Police considered the men "armed and extremely danger- ous" throughout the search. "Obviously what happened with the injuries there's no respect for life at all," Sgt. Ryrie said. "It is unusual, but this is the third incident involving violence in Durham Region in the past six to eight weeks," he said. "Hopefully it is the last. But we have to be prepared for it. Things are changing and we have to deal with it," he added. The town of Port Perry will take some time to recover from the violence, which police say is typical. "Our own towns are sacred. That is how we all feel. But, crime is unpredictable. We don't know where it is going to hap- pen. If we knew, if only you knew, something could be done about it," Sgt. Ryrie told the press. As of press time neither the weapons used or the stolen money, which police say is in the thousands of dollars range, had been recovered. The McArthur brothers appeared in court Saturday in Oshawa, where they yelled to the crowd "we were framed." The two suspects were remanded into custody for a bail hearing on Wednesday. Startled witnesses recall shootout mayhem By Kelly Lown Port Perry Star Shoppers at the Port Perry Plaza at first thought they were witnessing a Halloween prank or the filming of a movie when bullets blazed through the parking lot Thursday night. The grim reality, though, was a bungled bank robbery which resulted in five people, three of them local police offi- cers, being shot. "I thought they were filming another movie when I saw a guy wearing a balaclava and carrying a machine gun," said. Fred Canning, who was in his truck, smack in the middle of the shootout. Mr. Canning said he was in his truck preparing to leave the plaza when he saw the man running along in front of the stores. Knew it was real "I heard loud bangs and did- n't realize what was happening until I saw the window (of the police cruiser) shot out. I knew then it was real," he said. Mr. Canning stopped his truck in front of Tawco Dry Cleaners and ducked under the dash until the shooting stopped. Shell casings sur- rounded his truck. "I wanted to get out and help the officer in the car, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't going to get shot," he said. When the shooting stopped, others began approaching the scene and Mr. Canning quickly grabbed a sleeping bag to cover fallen Detective Paul Mooy, who after being shot in the arm was sitting upright against a brick pillar. Nick Rensink was just leav- ing the plaza parking lot when he looked into the Bank of Montreal. "I saw a man lying on the floor and people on the phone," he said of the mayhem. "I pulled off to see if every- thing was okay when I heard shots from the south end of the plaza," he added. Masked gunmen Mr. Rensink turned to see two people running along in front of ValuMart. "One was masked and had a bag, and the other had a gun that looked like an Uzi," he told The Star. Fear and shock overcame most people in the crowded plaza, including two teenaged girls preparing to close up shop at Paulmac Pet Foods. One girl was sweeping the floor, while the other was serv- ing customers when one of the suspects ran by the store win- dow. Both asked that their names not be used. "He had a mask and he looked right at me. He had a gun and I thought he was going to come into the store," the frightened girl recalled. "He was right in front of us and he was shooting. Customers (in the store) hid behind bags," she said. Dozens of onlookers stood and watched as police, ambu- lance, tactical units, canine units and fire trucks descended on the plaza. As police began to interview the terrified witnesses the crowd of onlookers multiplied. One after another they asked aloud, "How could this happen in a small, quiet town like Port Perry?" wo