Cops collar suspects in two Cayo robberies
Separate incidents in the Cayo district have resulted in the arrest of four suspected robbers. In the first case, investigators in Benque Viejo tell News Five that just after nine last night a tipster called in to report that three masked and armed men had just held up the Texaco Gas Station. Officers immediately launched a search for the culprits, which led them to the banks of the Mopan River near the old slaughterhouse. To the cops’ surprise, their flashlights soon picked up the bizarre sight of two men sitting neck deep in the water trying to hide. A third accomplice was later caught near Succotz Village on the Western Highway by a mobile unit. Police say they have recovered a nine millimeter handgun and nine rounds of ammunition believed to have been used in the incident. A subsequent check of the area also resulted in the recovery of a sawed off shotgun loaded with a single round. The men were immediately detained and tonight eighteen year old William Cagett and twenty-three year old Thomas Caretella, both of Santa Elena, and nineteen year old Benque Viejo resident Rafael Martinez stand accused of Robbery and Possession of a Prohibited Firearm. According to gas station owner Antolino Trujillo, three men ambushed him and stole approximately eight hundred and fifty dollars in cash. The missing money has not been recovered.
Meanwhile, a similar attack in San Ignacio also ended poorly for two alleged perpetrators. According to police, around nine yesterday morning, two men walked into 8 & 8 grocery store on Bishop Martin Street and relieved the proprietors of cash, phone cards and electronic items. But as the duo was leaving the shop, officers responding to reports of a robbery in progress showed up and set chase. The suspects have since been identified as eighteen-year old Edwin Mckay and a sixteen year old boy. Cops also confiscated a sawed off shotgun which is believed to be the weapon used in the robbery. While Mckay was today charged with Robbery, his teenaged accomplice somehow managed to escape the confines of the San Ignacio Police Station is tonight wanted by authorities.
