Minor says drunk B.D.F. threatened him at gunpoint
It was an explosive situation in the west over the past weekend when reportedly drunken B.D.F. soldiers clashed with civilians. From what we have gathered, two soldiers were looking for two alleged ‘contrabandistas’ who had just crossed the river. The men eluded the soldiers and that’s when they allegedly took out their frustration on residents of Benque Viejo. At the same time of the search, two other men were looking for a friend whom they thought fell into the river. But they found themselves staring down the barrel of the high powered military weapons of the soldiers. What happened next is that a seventeen year old UB student was gun butted and threatened by the soldiers. Edward Gonzalez told News Five he went fishing at the river when the alleged drunken soldiers accosted him at gunpoint. A passerby recorded some of the exchanges with the soldiers who used obscene language against the teen.
Voice of: Edward Joseph Gonzalez, Allegedly Abused by B.D.F. Soldiers
“While I was going home I saw two B.D.F. soldiers gone side of the river where I was, heading towards me and pointing their rifles at me, telling me to throw my things down and to show them where the two men went. I stopped and I tell them I don’t know anything. So I proceeded to walk home and the B.D.F. soldier pointed the gun directly at my head and ordered me to show them where the two men went. So I told them I don’t know. Then I decided to do what they told me because I was afraid of being shot because the next one who was behind him threatened me and said he was going to shoot me if I ran or didn’t do what they said. So I escorted them towards where the street is from where I was. They were pushing me, pulling me from my pants. The same B.D.F. soldier who was pulling me saw another guy who was in short pants and tennis shoes. He was wet because he was probably searching for a drowned man. They ordered him to lay down pan di ground and pointed the gun at his head as well and asked him where are the products that he was crossing by the river. He slapped him and he told them he doesn’t know anything. And then the next soldier pointed the gun at me and told me to lay down pan di ground so I did what they told me. After a while some more people started to gather and there were a few gentlemen who were passing by and the same B.D.F. soldiers pulled over and start to ask them questions and like involved them inna it. After a while the police came. You could have smelled the breath of liquor on both soldiers. It was really strong and you can see on their faces, their eyes were red. They were disoriented and didn’t know what to do.”
News Five contacted B.D.F.’s Chief of Staff, Lieutenant Colonel Ganney Dortch who said the incident had not reached his desk. After the interview with Gonzalez, Dortch spoke with him about the incident.
The last time alcohol, Police & BDF were used in the same story, we ended up with a dead officer whose killeer has not been arrested & whose death has still not been fully explained to anyone’s satisfaction. Kid you dodged about eight bullets &I’m sure your parents are breathing a sigh of relief that you were in the city instead of San Pedro.
We need the officers names & since BDF prides itself in dealing with their own in a swift & decisive manner, show us what you can teach the Police Department.
Thats nothing new .it always happen. A message to the high ranking men do your job and investigate them. You are there to protect us not to abuse the belizean or benque people. Remember its the taxpayers who pay for your salary. Fire them period. But as always they will have a puppet show court and nothing will happen. Fire them .
If the soldiers thought that the teens looked like their suspects then they had all rights to confront the suspects with their guns cocked. However, the teens are saying that the soldiers were drunk and out of order which is in no way acceptable or should be tolerated by the people or by the army.
I also have to say that sometimes when police/soldiers approach a suspect or a person the suspsect or person refuse to comply out of shame and a situation that can easily be solved turned into something else, your shame, and stubborness also portrays a lack of respect for authority and force should be excuted when necessary.
however, by complaints of the people the soldiers like the police are now taking advantage of their power by
physically or verbally abusing their suspects, inevitably heading down the same path like the police.
This much force for contrabandistas??????? Seems like ABUSE OF POWER!!!! DON’T FORGET THAT POWER CORRUPTS………
this video is good evidence of what our law enforecer are doing which sometimes are never report or never taken as a serious matter. nice video please people if there’s a chance to bring our what police officers are doing do the same thing video it, if it’s a good video about a good arrest bring it on too. not only the bad. but these things of bad behaviour should be investigated. how come they are drung and point guns at civilians, that’s insane to act like that being under the influence of alcohol. hope the lieutenant has get the sense of it, since it hasn’t reach his desk it has reach his flat screen tv at home. what a shame on our soldiers, stealing food and now drunks.
Hopefully with these images, the BDF top notch can take action….Im not surprise at all since I have personally seen both BDF and Police drinking in mobiles.
Unfortunately, this shot submitted with the story does not reveal any abuse of power by the soldiers, without the physical proof of abuse this case is dead already.
The video still does not show any signs of abuse, only suspects laying on the ground which is usual for an arrest/interrogation if there is no walls for suspects to put their hands on. This is what happens in lax law enforcement work, everybody drinks on the job thereby making poor judgement when reality bites.
This samething happen everyday with police. I just hope they remember that they can not hide behind the uniform for ever. their deeds will catch up with them sooner than later and i hope no one come out to say ” he neva messed with nobody he was innocent.” burn them and light them
PROUD you are so correct. Nothing wrong when they drink off duty, they are human beings and deserve a break. BUT during working hours… They should be expelled and fined for their actions.
Now that is a BIG problem in Belize called “power of authority”
better say ABUSE OF POWER
As far as contraband goes. Has anyone been to a police or customs party? Top of the line drinks there from what? Anyone with the answer…
CONTRABAND
Our soldiers not even business to be dealing with these kind of people. The border is very difficult to deal with and people who are doing the illegal stuff will never say or accept that they are involved. Tuff for the soldiers but if indeed they were drinking then OC Cayo needed to do a alcohol test. The people involved in illegal transactions are very conning because they do not want to go to court and they will not be honest. Infact some of these people who you deal with at the border are very disrespectful, soldiers give an them an inch and they take a foot. Give them a yard they take a mile. If you become very strict with them they insult, make false complaints about the soldiers and even if the soldiers make a catch they end up being freed and they make a mockery of the soldiers along the border. I am not saying that these guys are the contrabandist but as a man on the ground you have to make quick decisions. Your approach to people makes a lot of difference. A calm voice sometimes works, but an authoritative voice is even better because people have become so disrespectful to our authroity. AGIAN I say that most of our Law Enforcers have problems just like any one else and are human beings. If soldiers didn’t have patience you would have soldiers in the news everyday. The Ration Thieves are thieves dressed in uniform. Send them to jail, the drunkards send them to rehab, the lazy send them home and the dishonest send them to jail along with the contrabandists. Respect to my honest, hard working Belizean Soldiers. Idlers in the BDF you waste of RATION.
MADDYVANDIJK/DEREALIST says:
they had all rights to confront the suspects with their guns cocked……WRONG!!!! WEAPONS SHOULD ONLY BE DRAWN IF THE SUSPECT IS ARMED, and THE FIREARM SHOULD NEVER BE COCKED. That is what caused an innocent man to get shot in Belize City the other day.
MADDYVANDIJK/DEREALIST says:
they had all rights to confront the suspects with their guns cocked……WRONG!!!! WEAPONS SHOULD ONLY BE DRAWN IF THE SUSPECT IS ARMED, and THE FIREARM SHOULD NEVER BE COCKED. That is what caused an innocent man to get shot in Belize City the other day by the police.
Lets use common sense here.If these guys were drunk then it would be evident that they don’t know who they were looking for.
I did not see any signs of of our soldiers being drunk in the video, one thing i do not understand with my fellow Belizeans, they want the security guys do their job and yet when the guys are doing their job they still complain. i didn’t see any abuse in the video either, they were just doing their job and it seems that the story of the young guy is being believed more that our soldiers. Come on people….
I Cannot Stand Earl Gray, He/She Always Look At Others Comments & Pass Remarks. Dude Give it A Rest! Everyone Have A Right To Express Their Feelings. Life’s Is Not That Serious Sweetheart… 🙂 HE HAPPY. LIVE YOUR LIFE & FREE UP YOUR SELVES. LIFE’S IS TOO SHORT FOR US NOT TO BE HAPPY 🙂 PEACE OUT!
If u didn’t C any sign that the soldiers were drunk it’s because u weren’t there. I live close to where that incident happened n believe u me, many of those soldiers exchange the contrabandist freedom for rum or beer. I have seen with my eyes soldiers and especially police officers drinking when wearing their uniforms. Just walk into a chinese restaurant n u’ll see them begging for beer. One day i tried to video one with my phone camera n quickly he smelled that i was trying to video him. I had to stop because i became afraid. Not only that, there’s a police officer who lives in that neighbourhood, (whose name i wont say), that likes to shoot in the air just because he owns a gun and because he thinks that he has the power, since he is a police officer. If you lived here in benque especially around the areas where contraband takes place, you’ll see the abuses that takes place by the police n soldiers. That is why many police officers love working in benque because it is here where they do their extra money. It’s also true that the things that are taken away from the contraband are then used during police parties and at their homes. As a teacher i have taught kids that take chips etc to school and have told me that their parents bring it from the station.
who knows, maybe the troops were due stand down after two or three weeks ,this is frustrating for them.they has a family as well .the chief of staff Ganny Dortch has never done a foot patrol in his career in the b.d.f. and so are other high ranking officers. send him to do a two weeks foot patrol to Rio Blanco or Machaquila.let him walk in and out ,so he stops bsing the public.
You brought up a very good point, Asher…
FROSTWIRE, welcome to the board, and thanks for taking part in this discussion.
My experience with military life is that we always carry our weapons, our duties include not just the safety of our own people but as well the entire territory. If you choose to cross your border point whether Belizean or Foreigner at a non designated location, we have every right to pursue the suspect. Imagine a soldier chasing an intruder bare hand as he suspiciously and maybe dangerously invades the territory ? Let me ask some of the people that party if they have ever been out the night before had a great time indulging alcohol for the pleasure of the occasion, then you work the following day and some will tell you that you smell like a distillery? Grow up Belizeans stop whining about all the little enforcements you see. Get used to it, times will be tougher yet.