It was drama on Wagner's Lane also known as Jump Street in Belize City this afternoon as the Special Patrol Unit descended on the Budran family home looking for a Marlon Budran in connection with a shooting. It outraged the family not because their brother was under arrest, but because the police took over the family home, chasing everyone out, keeping only Marlon inside. But in this community, which has seen too many police abuses, it sparked outrage and confrontation. We were there and a cousin who witnessed the whole thing, Ian Arnold told us why he's upset.
Ian Arnold,
"The police take the authority they got and abused the authority they have. They have Marlon Budran detained, they already have him detained and under investigation for some shooting and thing but they just locked him up in the house and are beating him. They are telling the brother and we as the cousin that we can't go up there to see what is going on. They run down the house for ammunition and thing and they are beating him. When we tried to go up they harassed and pulled gun on us and that is why we went for you to come out and see it. The law has procedure how they deal with things. If you want a suspect and thing you detain the suspect and tell them whatever crime they are under investigation for. They just can't be coming to people. They stamped down the door and that is not right."
Jules Vasquez,
So you are saying he was beaten in his own house and then his brothers, whose house it is also, were not allowed into their own house?
Ian Arnold,
"Yes and the brothers got detained just now because it looks like they are looking to charge we for what, obstruction of justice and what? We are just coming to see what is happening to our brother and they want to charge us with obstruction of justice and resisting arrest and this is a free country."
Jules Vasquez,
So they did a home invasion?
Ian Arnold,
"A home invasion yes. See the whole neighborhood out yah, everybody is seeing this right here; big day and everything and that is why we went for you guys. The camera doesn't tell lies so please show this tonight and show them straight and plain that the police have to respect the ghetto youths because not all the time we will take that because they don't respect he ghetto youths and they want the respect from we but they don't give us respect."
Though police were only looking for Marlon in the end, the detained three more Budran brothers. Up to newstime, they had not been charged.
