On one of their biggest collection days, this afternoon a single gun man casually pulled off a $14,000 heist from the Income Tax Department in Belize City. Police are tonight confirming that at around 4 pm a young man casually walked into the Income Tax's Collections Division inside the Complex Building on Mahogany Street and robbed them of an estimated $14,000 which is collections from customers. 7NEWS was on the scene and we spoke to two witnesses who were waiting in line to pay their taxes when the robbery occurred. Our first account is from Baltazar Martinez. He told us he thought the bandit was an employee.
Baltazar Martinez, Witness to Robbery
"I was right there paying when I saw him just went way to the back. He looked like a messenger for Income Tax and he went in and came out back and he was gone."
Keith Swift,
What can you tell us about how he looked?
Baltazar Martinez,
"He looked dark skinned, tall, he had plaits, and he was wearing a hat. He didn't have no masks. He went back there like he knew everybody back there and then he came right out back."
Keith Swift,
What did he come out with?
Baltazar Martinez,
"Nothing just with his bag. Like I told he looked like a messenger. You would never believe that was what happened in there."
Keith Swift,
Do you know what went on at the back there?
Baltazar Martinez,
"Afterwards everybody ran from the back and they said he went in there with a gun and jacked the lady. He casually walked out; normal like nothing."
Eyewitness #2,
"In there you see people up and down and today no one had on uniform so I didn't know if they worked there or not. I went to pay some taxes."
Keith Swift,
When did you realize it was a robbery?
Eyewitness #2,
"I had a friend who works in there and he came and told me that they were just robbed. He asked me if I saw somebody pass and I said no. I was just standing in the line. No one screamed or anything like that."
Keith Swift,
Does it surprise you or was it frightening that this happened right in front of your face?
Eyewitness #2,
"Well its kind of scary because supposed the man had fired a shot at me. I don't know what would have happened."
Again police say the amount stolen is in the neighborhood of $14,000. Police are tonight seeking one male person.
We say today is one of the Income Tax Department's biggest day because it is payday and a day income tax is due. Workers at the Complex Building told 7NEWS there is only one unarmed security guard for the entire building.
