ST ANDREW, Jamaica— Police and gunmen engaged in a shootout Thursday afternoon at the Mystic Plaza on Hagley Park Road, St Andrew, thwarting what authorities believe was a robbery plan beginning to unfold.

It is reported that about 2:15pm the police were alerted to a suspicious blue Honda Stream motor vehicle with three men aboard at the Mystic Plaza.

As the police arrived on the scene and approached the vehicle, the gunmen exited the car and shot at the police, who returned fire, reports say.

The men reportedly ran, eluding the police, and in the pursuit a firearm was subsequently seized in the nearby vicinity.

None of the police were injured, however it is unclear whether any of the gunmen were.

Senior Superintendent of Police in charge of the St Andrew Central Division, Marlon Nesbeth commended the police for their swift action in preventing what he believes was a would-be robbery.

“This is what we have been seeing in recent times within the Corporate Area of persons committing various cases of robberies, heavily armed as they were and we have been trying to mitigate these through our various patrols and focussed attention around particular areas and we will continue to do this as we seek to rid the streets of these hoodlums,” SSP Nesbeth said.

Footage from the scene shows the motor vehicle which the gunmen were said to be using abandoned at the plaza.