City businesses hit by masked, armed men

On Wednesday, masked men hit two Belize City businesses in separate attacks. The first incident occurred in downtown Belize City on Wednesday night and left the two store owners injured. According to police, around nine last night the Blue Bird Ice Cream Parlour on Albert Street was ambushed by three masked men brandishing handguns. Proprietors Zheng Ju Kang and his wife Carmen Kang say they were held at gunpoint before one of the men jumped over the counter and started to beat them in their heads with the butt of a gun. The thieves then ransacked the place and after finding five hundred dollars in cash and a number of telephone cards the trio quickly left the establishment. The Kangs were rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital for medical treatment. Tonight Mr. Kang remains admitted to ward recovering from a severe gash in the back of his head. Police say they have detained one person for questioning. Hours earlier on Wednesday, another business, this time in the King’s Park area was also robbed by armed gunmen. News Five has confirmed that around two in the afternoon, two masked men walked into Hoy Eye Centre on St. Thomas Street and held up employees with a handgun. The thieves then stole a hundred dollars in cash and an assortment of jewellery from behind the counter. No one was hurt in the incident and up to news time tonight no arrests had been made in connection with the crime.