Man accused of pizza shop armed robberies and shooting a man denied bail
UPDATE: A Sydney man accused of shooting a pizza shop worker twice in a botched armed robbery will remain behind bars but his aspiring air force pilot and handy cricketer alleged victim — who still has a bullet lodged in his chest — has had his dreams dashed, police say.
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A SYDNEY man accused of shooting a pizza shop worker twice in a botched armed robbery will remain behind bars but his alleged victim — who still has a bullet lodged in his chest — an aspiring air force pilot and handy cricketer, has had his dreams dashed, police say.
Salem Rima, 28, did not appear in Sydney’s Waverley Local Court today where bail was not applied for and was refused, after being charged over a string of five “violent” armed robberies between November and January in the city’s west.
The string of violent robberies began on November 20, when a man allegedly stole $2500 cash at gunpoint from employee Anna Nguyen at TK Something barbecue restaurant in Canley Vale between 11.45pm and 11.55pm.
Two weeks later on December 9, the man struck again at Domino’s Pizza in Fairfield East, taking $3000 cash at gunpoint from employee Sagar Donakanti.
Five days later employee Ritesh Shrestha was robbed of $1500 at gunpoint at Domino’s Pizza in Strathfield.
On December 17 a man got away with $300 after threatening an employee Long Bai with the same firearm at Domino’s Pizza in North Strathfield.
The terrifying saga came to a bloody end on January 7, when the man allegedly attempted to rob Domino’s Pizza in Wentworthville.
Employee Anand Singh, 21, argued with the man before he was shot twice in the torso.
The man only got away with a small amount of cash on that occasion.
Rima was charged with wounding Mr Singh with an offensive weapon, as well as assaulting two other employees with intent to rob and endangering them by firing his pistol.
Rima was also charged with using an unauthorised pistol on that day before he was charged with possessing an unregistered firearm and ammunition yesterday.
In each of the incidents Mr Rima was allegedly armed with a small revolver pistol.
He has been charged with four counts of robbery while armed with a dangerous weapon, attempted robbery while armed with a dangerous weapon, assault with intent to rob armed with an offensive weapon, wounding/grievous bodily harm, discharging a firearm intending to cause grievous bodily harm, firing a firearm in a manner likely injure persons, using an unauthorised pistol, possessing an unregistered pistol, possessing ammunition without holding licence/permit/authority, and an outstanding warrant for traffic offences.
Strike Force Tintaldra was formed earlier this year to investigate the string of terrifying armed robberies.
Detective Acting Superintendent Gary Hutchens of the State Crime Command’s Robbery and Serious Crime Squad said at the time the suspected offender had the same modus operandi on every occasion.
“All the offences have occurred late at night,” he said.
“There is a single male offender, who has entered a takeaway food outlet through the back door with a firearm.”
Mr Singh was operated on but has permanent hand injuries — losing a knuckle — and a bullet remains lodged in his chest.
“The victim obviously has some permanent injury to his hand,” Detective Acting Superintendent Gary Hutchen said in a press conference
“He did have dreams of pursuing a career in the air force and was quite a good cricketer, and those dreams are now curtailed as a result of the incident that occurred.”
After the shooting Mr Singh recalled the details of the robbery, reliving moments which police say have left him traumatised.
“He took out his revolver,” Mr Singh said at the time from his Westmead Hospital bed. “I was afraid because maybe he [would] shoot me or my two other friends.”
“He fired like four times. First time was near my ear and then second one on my chest and the third one on my hand. I straight away said to my friends ‘Run” and they start running.”
Rima, from Old Guildford in Sydney’s west, was arrested at a construction site in Pagewood in Sydney’s southeast on Wednesday.
Three search warrants were executed on a row of three houses next door to each other in Old Guildford, which are all connected to the same family.
Police allegedly found a black revolver, ammunition and items including clothing, linked to the robberies.
An image, allegedly taken in one of the homes, shows bullets arranged in the shape of the letter “S” and a half-empty box of .38 special rounds.
A State Crime Command spokeswoman said police currently have no further insight into an arrangement of .38 calibre bullets, which were glued into an S shape on his a bedroom wall.
Rima’s next court appearance is scheduled at Central Local Court on June 14.
— With additional reporting by AAP