Armed Robbery in Corozal Injures Three Persons

The polls had just closed in Corozal Town on Wednesday night, when shots rang out. Three persons were injured in a robbery at a Chinese store. Three armed men held up a couple and a customer and inflicted injuries on them before fleeing the area with an unknown amount of cash. Duane Moody reports.

Duane Moody, Reporting

A Chinese couple, owners of Frys Store in Corozal Town, and a patron were injured on Tuesday night in an armed robbery just after seven o’clock. Masked men, one brandishing a firearm, ran into the store and before robbing the establishment, beat the couple and their customer with the back of the gun. The gunmen fled the scene with the loot and the trio had to be rushed to the Corozal Community Hospital.

Andrew Ramirez

Supt. Andrew Ramirez, O.C., Corozal Police Formation

“Three individuals suffering from injuries…namely: two Chinese, Liming Li and Wu Hong Choa and a Belizean, Mister Victoriano Poot. They had injuries to the head area. The initial investigation that we have indicates that at seven-thirty p.m., the fourth of March, three masked individuals entered Frys Store located on Santa Rita Road where they held up the establishment. During that process, Mister Pook was a customer. These individuals, one of whom was armed with a firearm, immediately went into a violent mode and hit all three with the gun-butt. They made off with an undisclosed amount of money from the establishment and also took away Mister Victoriano’s waist bag as he is a taxi driver.  We are getting video footage and I must inform the community that it was share luck that these three individuals are still alive. The manner in which these individuals had entered, it was not asking to hand over any money. They were into violence. So whatever transpired, I think it was a share spite of luck in relation to these individuals.”

Zandon Myers

By this morning, nineteen year old Zandon Myers of Fourth Avenue, Corozal Town was charged for kept firearm and ammunition without a gun license.  Corozal Police with the assistance of the Mobile Interdiction Team, MIT, came up on Myers on William Scholfield Street and he was found with a nine-millimeter pistol with six live rounds tucked in the front portion of his pants. According to Supt. Ramirez, it is strongly believed that he was one of the three robbers.

Supt. Andrew Ramirez

“He has since been charged in relation to the firearm and ammunition offenses and he is under investigation for the specific robbery at Frys because we strongly believe that he was one of the assailants in relation to the robbery.”

Duane Moody

“Sir, has any of the loot been recovered?”

Supt. Andrew Ramirez

“Yes, Duane. When these officers from the investigating team had retrieved the firearm, they also found a waist bag around Zandon Myers waist. Inside that bag had the identification card of Mister Victoriano Poot with some few dollars. I cannot give the exact number of dollars.  Some monies were indeed recovered. The identification card from Mister Victoriano was recovered from the said Zandon Myers hence the reason I had indicated that we strongly believe he was one of the assailants in connection with this robbery.”

Police has confirmed that shots were fired during the robbery as the assailants fled the area. According to the mother of the accused, her son has been beaten and taken to Orange Walk where he was locked up. Duane Moody for News Five.