Home Invasion in Hattieville; Thieves Wanted 2014 Hilux
A home invasion on Sunday morning in Hattieville has left a woman, her tenant, and her granddaughter traumatized after armed thieves got into their house. They were tied up and gagged before the armed men escaped with cash, jewelry, and a 2014 Toyota Hilux. Still shaken by the ordeal, Lauramay Mortis gave News Five’s Duane Moody an off-camera interview today chronicling the ordeal.
Duane Moody, Reporting
Lauramay Mortis has been living near the preschool and in proximity to the police station in Hattieville for decades. Her sister lives right around the corner. But in the wee hours of Sunday, as she headed home, she was ambushed by two masked men, one of whom wielded a firearm. Mortis was forced to open the door to her house and her life was threatened. She and her granddaughter were gagged and their hands bound together.
Voice of: Lauramay Mortis, Victim
“The two mask men run outta di bush right dah di side of mi house with gun and I bawl out. And they say like this. I take off, but I say if I run, dehn wah shoot me ina mi back. And then I have mi granddaughter in deh so dehn still wah get the keys and come in. So I say, make I stop and comply with dehn. Dehn open di door and gone in and as I get in, dehn tie up mi hand dehn. And ih tell di bally with the gun, she mover or anything, kill that. So I comply, dehn tie up mi and dehn put me and mi granddaughter fi sit down. Dehn hold wi deh till; dehn lef from yah like twenty-five to four.”
Duane Moody
“So almost three hours inside?”
Voice of: Lauramay Mortis
“Yes ‘cause I get in like 12:15, 12:30 and then dehn gone with the vehicle. They tie we up to the bed, push thing ina wi mouth so we noh make noise.”
According to police, Theodor Gabourel was awakened by someone yelling for police. But when he opened his eyes, he was staring down the barrel of a gun. He was beaten in his back before he too was tied up. The perpetrators, who wore camouflage clothing, stole an undisclosed amount of cash, jewellery and Mortis’ 2014 Toyota Hilux pickup.
Voice of: Lauramay Mortis
“Dehn tie he up and dehn whap he up ina ih back and tell ahn that he di make noise. Ih say kill he man and I tell dehn unu noh have to do that; unu noh have to kill nobody. Ih say we noh want hear you miss cause we wah get rid of you too.”
Duane Moody
Duane Moody
“Two persons, three persons, how many persons?”
Voice of: Lauramay Mortis
“I see two, but dehn say that dah three ah dehn mi deh deh.”
Quick response from the police led to the recovery of the vehicle later that day in Bullet Tree, Cayo District. And as it would appear the Hattieville family was targeted by a ring of bandits who steal vehicles of this model and dispose of them in Guatemala.
ASP Fitzroy Yearwood
ASP Fitzroy Yearwood, Communications Director, Belize Police Department
“All checkpoints were alerted countrywide and the checkpoint at Bullet Tree Falls stopped a Toyota pickup fitting the description of the one that was stolen from that aggravated burglary. When the vehicle was searched, the VIN number was a match and the two persons on board were both men from Bullet Tree. One was Charlie Martinez, thirty-four years and Angel Mayen, twenty-three years. Both men have since been detained by San Ignacio police and both efforts from San Ignacio and Hattieville as to the charges that will be levied against them. One we know that they were a stolen vehicle that was as a result of another crime in Hattieville. So the least we are looking at for them is handing stolen goods and theft.”
And while the vehicle has been recovered, the family’s sense of security has been shattered.
Voice of: Lauramay Mortis
“Dehn di watch mi cause Friday night mi dog dehn di bark, bark, bark, but I say I noh wah come out because somebody deh outside. And then Saturday night I tell my sister, somebody deh round my house. Nobody want live like yo ina prison. I does always tell my husband I noh want no fence cause that dah fu prison – fence and burglar bar – now see. It’s sad.”
Duane Moody of News Five.
