It's the commercial center of the entire country and Friday afternoon on Albert Street in Belize City should be the last place to expect an armed robbery to occur.
But that's just what happened this afternoon just a few blocks down from our studios and 7NEWS was on the scene where we found outraged victims and puzzled police.
Alfonso Noble Reporting,
Police were quick to respond to a call at 2:30 this afternoon. Two men, at least one of them armed, stormed into Maya Store at the Eastern End of Albert Street - just a jog from the heart of the city. Three attendants were in the front of the store when they ordered everyone unto the floor.
Lucy Trujillo, Robbery Victim
"Guy came in and put the girl Carmen to lay down on the floor. Then he took Kira and he pointed the gun in her back and ordered her to open the cash register."
"I didn't really hear much but heard Carmen telling them to please don't her. She was screaming to take anything but just please don't hurt anyone."
And the robbers didn't hurt them; they helped themselves to the contents of the cash drawer and left without firing a shot.
Sanjay Kadam, Robbery Victim
"I was thinking I didn't want them to shoot nobody here because I don't mind they take the money because I can replace money but when you take a life that can't be replaced."
And while they are grateful to have escaped unharmed, they are very shaken and deeply disturbed that the area is being targeted and the police department seems to be doing nothing about it. On Monday, Jem's Boutique, the store right beside Maya's was robbed at gunpoint at 1:30 in the afternoon. Sanjay Kadam had the misfortune of being a victim of both robberies.
Sanjay Kadam,
"They came in and I was really scared. They told me to lie down and I lay down right away because I was scared. The day at Jem's I went over to get some change and the same thing happened. I think it is the same two people that both robberies and the same gun also."
But police have made no arrest for Monday's robbery and are now scrambling to find suspects for this crime. But at Maya's store patience and the sense of well being is wearing thin.
Sanjay Kadam,
"I feel like the police are not doing anything and this is too much. I feel like nobody is doing anything. This is the second robbery this week and it makes me feel like nobody is doing nothing and everybody have families and we need to take care of them."
Lucy Trujillo,
"This is ridiculous. They supposed to have police on the street patrolling because we were robbed today Friday, Jem's on Monday and maybe next week it will be somebody else and they could get hurt and killed for nothing."
At news time no one had been detained.