Back in History: Chase ends in fatal fall

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Criminal Investigations Department director Senior Superintendent Jimi Koroi looks down a 50-metre cliff the two escaped prisoners jumped from. Picture: FILE

AN early morning car chase through central Suva and Tamavua ended when an escaped prisoner fell to his death over a 50-metre cliff.

This tragic story was published in The Fiji Times on March 23, 1986.

The report also said another escaped prisoner, who had jumped with the dead man, was in serious condition at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital.

And police were looking for three others who were with the two escaped prisoners in the car.

The Suva car chase drama started around 4am, when a gang of suspected escaped prisoners and night raiders stole the car of Police Inspector Tota Ram from his home in Delainavesi.

Police believe the raiders were part of a gang responsible for recent crimes of terror and theft of cars around the Suva area.

As a result of the report, a police signal was immediately sent to all patrol cars and foot policemen around the city.

Shortly afterwards, the stolen car was sighted at Nadonumai Rd near Delainavesi by a police patrol car, which alerted all other patrol cars through police headquarters communication centre.

Soon after the sighting, a patrol car tried to block the path of the stolen car which was travelling at a high speed and dangerously.

The stolen car hit the patrol car, damaging it, but continued at high speed towards Suva.

The chase then continued through Vatoa Rd, Princes Rd and into Wairua Rd near Tamavua-i- wai.

The stolen car finally broke down at Wairua Rd and the party of five inside got out, threatening police with cane knives, hammers, stones, bottles and sticks.

Towards the end of the road, the five threw a barrage of stones at the advancing police party.

The move delayed the police advance as the police party called for reinforcements and the five made their escape.

The police reinforcement arrived minutes later and found two unconscious people at the bottom of a nearby cliff.

Upon examination it was found that one was dead and the other seriously injured.

The report said police had not released the identity of the men except to say that they are escaped prisoners.

Police suspect the same group had earlier stoned a police patrol car near Delainavesi, badly damaging it. Residents of Tamavua-i-wai told this newspaper that the confrontation between the police and the five men was a terrible incident.

A man who did not want to be named said he could hear and see what was happening, describing it as “just like the action from the movies”.

“But it was tragic in that a man apparently fell to his death,” the man said.

Meanwhile, in another incident, a security guard and a hotel worker died when the car they were travelling in went off road, hitting a culvert near the Naviti Hotel Resort on the Coral Coast.

The dead hotel workers were Ifereimi Tovilevu of Namatakula Village and Paulo Matakibau.

Mr Matakibau was a security officer of Safety Security Services of Suva, on contract with Hyatt Regency of Fiji.

Tovilevu was a waiter at the same hotel.

Another security officer, who was with the two was in critical condition at the Sigatoka Hospital. Police have not yet released his name.

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