A WOMAN was shot in the shoulder as a shooting spree erupted in Georgetown early yesterday morning when armed men abducted a city businessman, Police said.

The show windows of several business places and a section of the glass front of Citizens Bank were shattered by bullets as the gunmen chased Bramhanand Nandalall before cornering him at Citizens Bank on Camp Street.

Police said the four men pushed the businessman, owner of Keishar's store, into a vehicle and drove away with him.

The drama began at about 07:10 hrs as Nandalall was about to open Keishar's store on Regent Street, Police said.

Eyewitnesses told the Chronicle that he was attacked by the men as he proceeded to open the door of the store.

According to a Police press release, the four armed men had about five minutes earlier, emerged from a burgundy coloured motorcar, licence plate HA 1155, "pounced on the businessman and discharged several rounds at him".

The release said Nandalall fled west along Regent Street then south into Camp Street towards Citizens Bank.

When the four opened fire, a section of the glass show window of Keishar's store was shattered by bullets.

Witnesses said that as the gunmen pursued Nandalall, he whipped out a gun he was carrying and returned fire while running towards Camp Street.

The exchange of gunfire sent bystanders scattering for cover.

Witnesses said that when Nandalall reached Citizens Bank he attempted to summon help from the guards there, but the gunfire from the attackers became so intense they could not intervene.

A section of the glass front of the bank was shattered by bullets.

The attackers closed in on the businessman and took him away in a vehicle, they said.

One onlooker describing the scene at Camp Street said it was "bullets non stop" with everyone around scampering for cover and hitting the ground as the gunmen unleashed a hail of bullets.

Asked if he could remember the colour of the vehicle that was used in the kidnapping, the onlooker said, "Man, you didn't have time to check pun colour of vehicle, you had to run for cover because of the intensity of the gunfire."

Police said a 50-year-old woman of Wortmanville, Georgetown, was shot in the shoulder in the incident and was reported in stable condition in hospital.

As a result of the incident, Citizens Bank closed its doors for business until further notice.

Nandalall was in 1996 charged with cocaine trafficking and Police had issued a wanted bulletin for him after he failed to appear in court.

He, however, surfaced in September 1996 and was granted $1M bail, pending trial.

The case was later dismissed.