Man says cops threw cold water then burned him with hot spoon
Taking baths is a part of our everyday routine, but this simple task is a painful process for Santiago Pana after a frightening ordeal with an allegedly brutal police officer. Pana, who lived on the Stann Creek Valley Road, says he was burned several times to his upper body and that the injuries were caused by a young cop. According to Pana, he had a financial dispute with his sister late last week and she called the police. Pana travelled all the way to our studios in Belize City to make public the story of what happened when police met him as he rode home later that evening.
Santiago Pana, Alleges Police Brutality
santiago pana
“Two officers grab mi behind shirt, put me on di ground, handcuff mi behind mi and put wah M-16 behind mi back. Dehn handcuff mi and dehn ker mi dah station long wid my sista and my bra-lee. So weh gone on, when I reach dah station, I give my statement and everything. Now afta when my sista and my bra-lee gone home, dis young officer ker me inna di bathroom inna di station. Afta dat di man come wid wah bucket ah wata and dash it pan me. I noh got no shirt, I handcuff, I can’t do nothing. Now dis young man yah gone inna di kitchen inna di station and di man come wit wah hot spoon. I neva know di spoon hot; di man got di spoon hold up. I neva know di spoon hot so di man come and ih tell me oh you dah bad man BLAST! Ih do mi dis, dah den I get dis. Den afta dat di man gone again and dah den I get dis one on my chest. I mi di bawl. When he mi di do me den yah, di man put ih foot pan my back and tell me put fifty pushups. I can’t handle dah fifty pushups. I done got dehn pain yah, how di hell I wah do fifty pushups and yoh done got me inna pain? Dat’s why I want know why dis young man do me dis fah. I neva mi di resist arrest fi di man, I neva mi di fight ah, I neva cuss ah. Dah noh wid him I have problem. His job is just to arrest me, lock me down, if he have charge fi me—he noh even give me wah charge, nothing. Dat dah weh I really di trip bout.”
Delahnie Bain
“You had any problem with them before why they would attack you like this?”
Santiago Pana
“Me? I neva been arrested, I haven’t been charged, I noh know nothing bout station, nothing bout court.”
Pana says he was released and picked up a second time but the abuse did not continue because he told the officer that he would get a lawyer.
this nonsense has got to stop with these abusive policemen.
Police continue with their abusive nature towards people that they believe would not go public.
Sue them , they are animals just like the animals killing and hurting people on the streets of belize.
that police should be charge with brutallity.these young cops take advantage of these helpless peoples.the police should be charge and try like a civilian.its a shame nothing will come out of this tyey will sweep it under the carpet.shame on u .and more shame on the officer that did that to that poor man.
My bwia…even Delmo in Orange Walk could handle 50 pushups and he don old. Shame on you!!! lol
let this case be investigate since police officer need to know how to arrest and deal with the other procedure but not this type of torture. why will they do this to a man who is only arrested for fighting, when you see matura walking with more freedom even with a bottle of water on his hands? see criminals are treated more with respect than does with petty crimes.
These are some of the dirty cops we got to get rid of in Belize they think that they are above the law this type of stuff happens all the time in Belize, maybe not to this extreme but cops beat on suspects all the time they got to stop the madness and let due process prevail and that includes stop getting rid of case files also.
thats the ting people neva say two side to a story unu need to stop mek we local police look bad if da me wa mexican police o guatemala police beat up u lee Raxxxxx u neva me wa say nothing chu
Now what does Mexican and Guatemalan police have to do with this. I think you are just being NAIVE ….Whatever happen in Mexico or Guatemala we have no control over unless higher authorities get involve…but we are talking about our lovely country Belize. I know there is always 2 sides of a story but still that still does not give you ppl right to abuse other ppl. This is how you get the community to go against you all and not want to help. Who knows, this police just have created himself enemies. I think the police that this should be punished no doubt about it.
If the man play bad well he deserve that. but if not the police man deserve to be charged.
Let’s hope police will soon realize that if they continue behaving like this, belize will turn into being like guatemala. In guate, civilians don’t call police anymore. They take matters in their own hands, and that’s why police lose control, because they don’t help the people in the right way. In this country, we would all agree that police are not doing a good job. (Lack of discipline)
The young police especially, need to realize that respect has to be earned, it is not a given gift.
Junito…there is obviously lack of sense in ur lil brain….hopefully u rnt the next victim
Now unu out deh, tink we kud tri fi figa dis one out? Dem bad ones di juk down pipple, deh di shat down man like bud, dem poor chiney pipple an di rest a belize city folks, and deh just walk away. What, di police dem fraid fi di killas? how kom deh kud do up wah man like dis one eena dis news. how kom deh kant do dem jab good and get di killas put away or hanged? dem fraid fi touch di killas but ready fi do up di addas who komit wa lee krime. unu policemen and di whole justis systim di fail all a we belize pipple. memba weh unu sow unu wah reap.
Cops and Criminals ……. ARE VERY SIMILAR!!!!