Excessive force in San Ignacio; Family claims police brutality
A family from the west is alleging that police used excessive force on them. It’s not an unusual claim, but it involves an elderly woman, who says that she was dragged through a door and fell four feet to the ground. Another family member had to get medical attention and the incident left the entire traumatized. News Five’s Andrea Polanco reports from San Ignacio.
Andrea Polanco, Reporting
Tonight, an eighty-two year old woman, her daughter, and grandson, are in severe pain; they claim they were beaten by seven San Ignacio police officers, in their own home on Wednesday evening. The family said they were in their yard when they were given the bird by an officer who minutes later attacked them for no reason:
Emma Clarke, Victim of Police Brutality
Emma Clarke
“I mi deh rite deh suh when the police reach, earlier me, my ma and my son mi deh pahn my step. Deh deh up and down and rite suh. When deh pass back Reyes do we suh (middle finger sign)”
Leonard Pandy, Victim of Police Brutality
“The police deh attack me dah my house, neva bring no search warrant, nothing, or what they arrest me fah.”
Andrea Polanco
“Suh deh just reach dah your house, weh deh tell yuh?”
Leonard Pandy
Leonard Pandy
“Nuttn, nuh even I want yuh arrest or nuttn.”
Andrea Polanco
“Suh deh just start beat yuh up?”
Leonard Pandy
“The officer attack me and he put my hand behind my back eena wah kinda grip and I tell deh weh deh want me fah. Deh tell me ah just want yuh and deh ah ker me go beat me and torture me right now.”
But it didn’t end there, the family alleges that the officers attacked them and they intervened because they were scared that Leonard would’ve been killed:
Emma Clarke
“Deh start to wap up my son and I seh unu nuh wah kill my son and my son run eena my ma room, eena di back room and then deh run behind and they even knock out my teeth.”
Rosaline Clarke
Rosaline Clarke, Alleged Victim of Police Brutality
“Deh kick me up mi love because deh run een wid gun afta mi grandson and I run eena afta di bwai, you know grandmother, and the man tek fi he foot and kick mi down suh. Mi grandson holla, ay, unu nuh du mi grandma that, and then the man fire wah shot suh, eena di yaad. Yesterday I couldn’t sell, ah eena pain, dah one ah mi friend sell fi mi. Deh bruk two fan weh ah got deh. Deh bruk up everything ah tell yuh all mi pieces ah old thing deh.
But Leonard took most of the beatings, after he was taken from his home, he wasn’t taken to the police station as is customary, instead he was taken on a street and allegedly tortured.
Andrea Polanco
“Suh when deh ker you fah your house, round weh deh left yuh? Deh ker yuh dah the police station?”
Leonard Pandy
“No ma’am deh ker me straight pahn the Hospital Road and then Miss Willis call deh and tell deh mek deh ker me dah di hospital but before that deh tell me that deh wah heng me fah my b*** and deh wah push wah pint up my b**** mek I get up back cause I di play the possum. And deh di stomp up my hand, wap me eena my head with the pint bottle Deh hurt up me, deh tell me deh ah cripple me and all that.”
Andrea Polanco
“I si wah lotta bruises pahn yuh face, how yuh eyes yuh di si clearly?”
Leonard Pandy
“Only my right eye, I call deh and I try tell deh bout my eyes, how ie di bleed dah night and the cold di come out, and deh nuh even ker me dah hospital. I know dah Reyes mi di try drown me up yonda pahn the hospital road.”
Andrea Polanco
“Why weh he do?”
Leonard Pandy
“Cause I could taste the crystal water eena my throat and when I breathe een I could feel the wata dig uh down my nose and he pore it eena my mouth and nose. And wah tire wheel deh put my head and start to beat me.”
Although, Emma and her son are at home, their family wants justice:
Harvey Trapp
Harvey Trapp, Victim of Police Brutality
“But deh chance my granny, trough right yah suh deh haul my granny, si ie nuh have step, deh haul my step son and my granny, watch ah deh wah haul wah ole lady. We nuh got justice, ah glad dat unu come cause ah wah justice.”
Rosaline, her daughter and grandson were all granted a three thousand dollars bail each. The family was slapped with over seven charges each, including “resisting arrest, damage to property, and assault.” Reporting for News Five, I am Andrea Polanco.
We contacted the Senior Superintendent, Louise Willis, Officer in Charge in San Ignacio, to get a comment but she was at a meeting in Belmopan and said that by Monday they will make a statement.
THIS DA SOMETHING THAT SGT REYES AND HIS CIB PERSONEL UNDER HIS COMMAND ALWAYS DO LAST TIME I SEE THEM WITH MY OWN EYES THE BEAT UP A 14 YEAR OLD CHILD BY THE THE SANTA ELENA HORSE TRACK THEM LASH OUT THE LEE BOY WITH A POLICE BATTON AND STAMP UP HIM UNTIL HE GET UP BACK THEM ESPECIALLY SGT REYES LIKE BEAT UP SUSPECT TO ME REYES HAVE SOMETHING OVER THE COMMANDING OFFICER IN CAYO OR THE DIRTY COMMISIONER CHRIS JEFF FOR THEM TO BE ALLOWING THESE BRUTALITY TO CONTINUE
THAT IS WHY HE TRY TO INTEMIDATE MR BUDNA THAT HE WAH PLOTT SOMETHING ON BUDNA IF HE CONTINUE TO REPORT ON THE EVERY DAY POLICE BRUTALITY BY REYES AND HIS CIB TEAM BUDNA ONCE IN CAYO HE REPORT THEM @$$ AND THEM JUST CANT HANDLE IT SOME BODY SHOULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS BLOODY @$$#!@# REYES MEN HE THE DO SO MANY !@$$ AND GET AWAY REYES OF SAN IGNACIO POLICE BRANCH SEEMS TO BE POLICE MINISTER SWEET THING THAT IS WHY HE IS UNTOUCHABLE OK
Police brutality ,no dought,fire those policemen,jail them for violating our belizean civil rights,
Little Leonard looks like a saint who would never consider hiding under his Granny’s skirt. I believe there is police brutality, every profession has its share of idiots but I have never seen the level of collusion & misguided loyalty than what now exists in many families in Belize. If they are out on bail, what was the charge? Why is the little angel so familiar with police procedures?
Let’s face it, policemen have mothers & grandmothers, they are not going around beating up old ladies. Someone should have whooped this upstanding citizen years ago & he would not have put his Grandmother or mother in a position to get knocked on their behinds trying to defend him.
Who really knocked Mama’s teeth out? We had another fool in Belize City just a few months ago who swore the BPD broke his jaw, let’s not forget, HE WAS LYING.
I was passing when the incident occured. According to my eyes,… and i dont use glasses… yet… Granny mi di pull back her angel grandson and police di try ker him, of course she would get hurt, as fragile as she is when her grandson is resisting and police are trying to do their job. Even when the police vehice was taking off, with the angel, granny was holding on the tail gate of the vehicle… she should be jailed for obstructing justice.
Oh, police did not knock her teeth out, the gum is healed so u can see it is an old injury? Domestic V probably?
do your Job po-po, beat the lawlessness outta them.
THESE PEOPLE ARE NO SAINT THEY CLAIM TO BE, EVERYBODY AROUND RED CREEK UP TO RANZA KNOW THE TYPE OF PEOPLE THEY ARE, PLEASE PEOPLE FOR GOD SAKE THIS YOUNG MAN IS A THIEF, ALL THEY DO IS SMOKE POT AND GO AROUND THIEVING, AND GUESS WHAT HIS GRANDMOTHER, MOTHER, AUNTS CONDONE ALL HIS BAD BEHAVIOR, CAUSE ALL OF THEM MAKE MUCH OF THE STOLEN GOODS!!
THESE PEOPLE HAVE NO SELF ESTEEM, ASK AROUND SANTA ELENA AND PEOPLE WILL TELL HOW MUCH THEY HAVE SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR LOSS BECAUSE OF LEONARD PANDY, AND THEY KNOW HOW TO GET AWAY WITH CRIME, SORRY TO SAY THIS BUT I NO FEEL SORRY FOR THEM. WELL ALL LIKE HARVEY TRAPP THEY ARE THE NOTORIOUS THIEVES AROUND TOWN, ITS TIME FOR THEM TO PAY FOR THEIR CRIMES, THEY MUST UNDERSTAND THAT YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU CAN’T HIDE.KODUS TO THE POLICE
@ Jose and BDF Soldier, you guys have absolutely no clue who these animals are. Honestly I think the Cayo and especially Santa Elena would have been better off today if the police had killed the thief and his mother and grandmother. This entire family has plagued Santa Elena. They burglarize, rob and invade people home. They have a bunch of cousin, one was shot the day before, ………. it’s about 13 of these sorry dogs that rome the streets of santa Elena breaking into people’s home. Even the females in the family are known to befriend people and stake out the house so that these criminals can come in and rob you. Word around Cayo is that they are now colluding with elements from Belize City to carry out their crimes. I would hope that the Cayo policemen stop beating them and start shooting them. The quicker we wipe these thiefing maingey dogs off the face of the earth, the better for Belize. Cudos Sergeant Reyes, keep beating their @$$#$….but u also need to shoot more.
Everything that they mention about these individuals are true they are thieves and terrorize the people of elena and ranza all the time the trapp brothers or the crack brothers like i like to call it
tek you wapping like weh man and stop cry you criminal and try teach unu pickne betta because they wah worse that the them we will see