Robbers get $6,000 cash and $30,000 in cheques
Tuesday afternoon’s murder and shooting was followed by an armed robbery in the old capital. Robbers made off with over six thousand dollars in cash and thirty thousand dollars in cheques. It wasn’t a brazen daylight robbery but one that occurred on a dead end road in Belize City after nine o’clock on Tuesday night. The robbers waited and then pounced on two Orange Walk employees of Belize Food Supply as they returned with the days sales. Carlos Alvarado was seriously injured by machete wounds while Nolberto Leiva ran into the bushes where he received minor injuries.
Sergeant Fitzroy Yearwood, Police Press Officer
Fitzroy Yearwood
“Police visited an area on the Northern Highway, Belize Food Supply, where Nolberto Leiva, a salesman reported that he parked in their compound and waited for another delivery truck that later arrived. Upon that time, two men—one armed with a machete and what appeared to be a shotgun—attacked them. One of whom were injured by the machete receiving cut wounds and I know that Leiva received a broken leg when he ran into the bushes from their assailants. What I can tell you also is that they demanded the money, the day sales, which they handed over six thousand Belize dollars in cash and thirty thousand dollars in cheque.”
Jose Sanchez
“That’s a bit late; it’s pretty dark back there to be doing business at that time fo night.”
Fitzroy Yearwood
“I agree and I think that they took it for granted because it’s almost in a remote area that they were safe to just carry on with their transaction. What I would like to encourage business owners and these delivery men to do is carry on your business as early as possible and try to provide more security for yourselves. Areas like that we would be patrolling but we have to be realistic; the police an only do so much by patrolling. You have to take the responsibility on your own also to provide adequate security. You know what is your investment. You must protect your investment.”
Jose Sanchez
“Both men were injured. The gentleman whose leg was broken, was that from a fight or scuffle?
Fitzroy Yearwood
“Well he was running away actually and from what we at the police department understand, a shot was fired in his direction and [he] probably stumbled. We don’t want to speculate, but he received a broken leg.”
Jose Sanchez
“What is the condition of the other one who was actually chopped?”
Fitzroy Yearwood
“He is admitted to ward. We know that he is listed in the stable but serious condition.”
Jose Sanchez
“Were the assailants wearing masks? Could they even see them in the darkness?”
Fitzroy Yearwood
“Well Jose, you answered it yourself. It was dark. We are hoping that they got a good enough look that in the event we do capture anybody, they may be able to identify.”
Armando Castellanos remains in critical condition at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital.
With the current crime situation in the Jewel i wouls assume that someone carrying that amount of money would be armed.Stop been cheap people it’s not worth risking your lives to these senseless criminals.Arm yourselves.
If i was a thief in belize,i would never go after the poor who are struggling to survice in a tiny country where the laws created by by ministers,AKA LAWYERS just make it harder for them to make a living,i would go after those politicians,kidnapped them,enter thier houses and ransack them,as for big ramsom money,after all thier are big crooks,only that thier crimes are committed with pen and paper,and are done legal.
People would like to arm themselves but it is so hard because of all the gun laws that are being enforced that that it is almost impossible. The people that make an honest earning are not suppose to be armed according to the police. Yearwood is right people should take responsibility but the police doesn’t allow that.
If they would put in the law for death penalty for all the criminal out there the first criminal we should heng is BARROW caz he is killing us poor people with all this high tax and cost of living. Thats why they no like hear what people have to say about them with what they are doing to our country. Just cause they think they rich and have a high class job they treat us poor people like we are a piece of garbage but they should know that we are the ones paying all those taxes so dat they can have all the luxury they have. We need a change!!!! thousand of people is saying that but we no see nothing the happen. Barrow u are the reason for the suffering of the Belizean people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Whether or not we like the look on Fitzroy’s face, his statement was accurate. While I don’t think that it is as difficult for a business owner to get a gun, let’s not forget that Orange Walk is not isolated & has had its share of robberies & murders & I cannot imagine any cash handling business not having some form of security, regardless of location. I wish both men a speedy recovery.
@Rod, Fitzroy may be the Public Relations face of the BPD but he is not a part of the Belize elite & come from humble roots, I doubt that he can live in luxury on what he is being paid & there has been no real stink of corruption where he is concerned,. While we have all felt like reaching through the screen & swatting him on the head occasionally, he was on target this time. You want him to resign & do what, become a part of the criminal element?
Maybe its time for us to copy from Guatemala and other Central American countries where the delivery trucks and banks have at least two securities armed with shotguns.
I never thought I could despise another human being the way I despise and loathe Fitzroy Yearwood and it’s nothing personal because I don’t even know this @$$hole! This guy conducts interview with the media everytime there’s a crime and says the same monotonous, rehearsed B$ over and over and over again like the Belizean people are !@#%ING stupid. The Belize Police Dept is incompetent and impotent in every aspect of law enforcement. All they know how to do is abuse, insult and brutalize poor people. This half dead dog needs to flush himself down a toilet!!!!
Move to a more cashless society, Belizean businesses carry around too much cash.
Have purchasers deposit their charges into suppliers account before delivery is made, just the way the embassey make you do when you want a visa.