Carjacking victim regrets giving a free ride

A Belize City man was jacked on Saturday night. He was being a good Samaritan when a man he knew as Troy asked him for a ride while he was a gas station on Central American Boulevard. When he dropped Troy downtown, he then wanted to pick up another friend near George Street. After they picked up the second individual, they asked to borrow his car. And when he refused, the situation got out of hand. A knife and a gun were pulled out on him. But in a strange twist of fate, the cops pulled up behind the car jackers and it all unfolded downtown on Regent Street. Joseph Budna, who you would remember for assisting in gaining freedom from a Belizean, Dennis Gonguez, who was locked up in Melchor. He gave News Five the details of the most harrowing experience of his life.

Joseph Budna, Robbery Victim

Joseph Budna

“I stopped the car and he took out a firearm and placed [it] at my head and ih tell me move noh do nothing stupid. Ordered me to get from the driver seat to get on the front passenger seat and his bra-lee, the one I know, Troy, to get the driver’s seat and to start drive. He ordered Troy and kept the gun on me. He said noh do nothing stupid, roll up your glass good, show we weh di master lock deh and I showed them. The alarm went off but I locked it back. And they turned down George Street went back outta town. I heard the one behind saying they bwai di wait pan we by the guest house—they bwai ina di next vehicle. So apparently what I believe is that they would have used my vehicle to commit some kind of crime—some huge crime including murder, kidnapping or robbery and then thereafter throw my body away or take my body a next direction until they get through. Probably this is the way they operate. They put the gun at me when they put the gun at me where I told you, they ordered the driver to go out as to the seaside, but because a vehicle was coming behind—they didn’t know it was the police or who this vehicle was just the gunman telling this one bwai wa vehicle deh behind yo loose this vehicle. Go yah go yah.

They reach Albert Street and they turn right on Albert Street. The right on Albert Street, they have wah road, one that goes this way and one that goes this way to Fabers and I think this is Dean Barrow, the Prime Minister’s law Firm, the house in the middle. So they wanted to go the right and the gunman in the back saw the Jaguar Operation in a green B.D.F. truck.  So when he saw, he told the driver and the driver got a little bit jumpy—noh know which direction to take. This is when I saw them panic and I had the opportunity to jump out of the vehicle—the vehicle was not going so fast. So I jumped out fo the vehicle and shout and so the Jaguar Operation’s personnel that was inside this B.D.F. truck saw what was taking place and they made chase after my vehicle. I run behind the B.D.F. truck. The vehicle took about less than a minute—pass in front of the Governor General House, went left, turn around by the church that is at the corner in front of the Governor General’s House and went a little bit more in front of a hotel that is on that street right after the Governor General House and it shet down. When it shet down, the vehicle have an anti-rob and anti-theft that it locks you automatically up inside.  All lights go off, engines go off. And this is what happened to them—it locks them up and it shet down. So you can’t go nowhere even if you want start it and ih noh wah start and the alarm deh on to. Well the guy noh find no way to come out so ih shoot out the windshield about three or four shells, we picked up from inside the vehicle. So ih shoot from in to out fi get out.”

This afternoon Cole pleaded not guilty to a charge of Robbery and was remanded to prison until March first.