Heroic Cops Hailed for Rescuing Drowning Teens

Police Constables Daniel Choc and Derwin Garcia are being hailed as heroes tonight. The officers rescued three teenage boys who almost drowned in the Macal River in Cristo Rey Village on Saturday. San Ignacio Police received a distress call around three on Saturday afternoon and six officers went out to help. It took the officers fifteen minutes to get out to Cristo Rey and two of the officers sprang into action rescuing seventeen year old Kevin Requena, seventeen year old Bryan Oliva and fifteen year old Leighi Alvarado all of Santa Elena Town. The pair of cops will be rewarded for their act of bravery – that recognition will be two-fold. We spoke with Senior Superintendent Howell Gillett today – and in his capacity as acting Regional Commander he told us that the officers are deserving after all they braved the high waters of the river and saved three young lives.

Howell Gillett

Sr. Supt. Howell Gillett, Acting Regional Commander, Western Region

“There were six officers who responded, but two of them did acts of bravery. Those two officers, PC 720 Daniel Choc and PC 1466 Derwin Garcia, those are the two officers who risked their lives because the water was flooded and they risked their lives to see save these three young people. They have been identified as Kevin Requena, seventeen, Leighi Alvarado, fifteen, and Bryan Oliva, sixteen, all of them are from Santa Elena in the Cayo District. They were out paddling in a dory but young people, again, they didn’t assess the risk thoroughly and they could have lost their lives had it not been for the intervention of these two officers.  That is one of our mandates; to protect life and property and that is what these officers did. But there are so many wrong doings on the part of other officers, so some of the good work of officers are often overshadowed by the bad things. We are happy that these officers did this and we are of the strong belief that if they didn’t do what they did, these young people could have lost their lives and so we are happy for that.”

The cops are being rewarded with a lunch by the Commander of the San Ignacio Police on Tuesday and they are also going to be recognized by the Commissioner of Police in a separate activity.