ONLY IN JAMAICA (Barefaced thief) : Man steals Samsung Galaxy S5 from police vehicle as cop writes traffic ticket.... The two officers, in a desperate bid to collar the thief, chased him, but were outsprinted.

BY KIMMO MATTHEWS Observer staff reporter matthewsk@jamaicaobserver.com  Tuesday, May 12, 2015    

A thief operating in downtown Kingston staged what is arguably one of the most daring daylight robberies yesterday when he made off with a policewoman's phone as she cited a motorist for a traffic violation in the bustling business district.

A police source told the Jamaica Observer yesterday that the theft of the Samsung Galaxy S5 from the front passenger seat of the police service vehicle has left the affected officers embarrassed, angry and confused.

The source, who asked to remain unidentified, said that the incident happened approximately 9:00 am on West Street.

"The police drove the vehicle onto West Street and stopped a motorist for a traffic violation," said the source. "The two police officers -- a male and female -- exited the vehicle that they parked along the side of the road with the lights still flashing."

The source said that it was while the cops were addressing the motorist that the thief struck.

"Minutes later, a man who saw what was happening walked close to the police vehicle and saw the high-end phone on one of the seats. He opened the door of the vehicle, took up the phone and ran off into the nearby market," the police source related.

The two officers, in a desperate bid to collar the thief, chased him, but were outsprinted.

Meanwhile, in an unrelated incident, an ex-soldier was held up and robbed of his gold bracelet on nearby Orange Street.

Police on the scene said that the robbery was carried out by a teenage boy. more