SPANISH TOWN, St Catherine – Spanish Town, often the scene of violent confrontations between armed gangs, was yesterday plunged into chaos when gunmen opened fire on a group of men at a crowded taxi stand, triggering a stampede.

The mid-morning shooting grew into a fierce 30-minute gunbattle when police responded. But the gunmen, two of whom the cops believe were hit, escaped.

Yesterday evening, the police said they were maintaining a strong presence in the historic town that was once the Jamaican capital.

According to the police, the gunmen, who they believe are members of the Clansman gang, entered the crowded taxi stand from the Salt Pond main road at about 9:30 am and started shooting.

Some commuters fled, others threw themselves to the ground in order to avoid being shot. Shop owners pulled down their shutters and taxi drivers sped from the scene but ended up in gridlock on a number of streets.

The traffic pile-up affected the response time of the police who are stationed about 20 metres away from the taxi stand.

Deputy superintendent of police in charge of operations at Spanish Town, Dean Johnson, said two police details were dispatched to the scene before the shooting was brought under control.

Johnson said that after the gunmen opened fire in the crowded taxi stand, policemen on patrol in the area called for back-up. When the additional cops arrived the gunmen greeted them with “a volley of gunshots”. A second squad of police was sent to the scene and the gunmen retreated.

“We had to run and hide when we heard the gunshots,” one woman told the Observer. “It was awful to see them and the police shooting at one another in the crowd with a whole lot of children going to school.”

No civilians or police were injured in the incident which the police say was sparked by rising tensions between personalities within the Clansman gang, which is aligned to the ruling People’s National Party.

“Our information is that there is tension brewing between two factions, based on personalities, in the gang,” said Johnson. “At the moment, we have a strong police presence in the bus park and the taxi stand and we will be maintaining this strong presence throughout the weekend.”

The Clansman gang and the Jamaica Labour Party-affiliated One Order gang have fought many bloody gunbattles over the past few years for control of the taxi stand and the nearby bus park where extortion is rife.

Last year, more than eight people were killed at the taxi stand during gunbattles between the gangs.

Yesterday, a commuter told the Observer that word on the street was that the cause of the Clansman gang infighting was that the extortion money was not being shared evenly.

“Boss, me no business wid anything, but me sure sey the extortion money inna de gang nah run right and that’s why you find the infighting thing and dem waan kill off one another,” said the commuter. “But at the same time dem waan kill off innocent people too, that no right.”

A business person in the area alleged that the police often turn a blind eye while the gangsters collect extortion money.