Tonight police say they have the three suspects, the getaway car, the guns and all of the cash and checks stolen during an armed robbery yesterday evening. The daring crime started with an ambush of an Insurance Corporation of Belize employee and ended with a violent shootout in the midst of one the city's quieter communities. Three men have been charged and the ringleader is no stranger to the law. We have been on the story since last night and our coverage begins there.
Keith Swift Reporting,
It is here that 35-year-old Insurance Corporation of Belize employee Nilberto Leiva came yesterday evening around 6 pm to make a deposit. Police say Leiva got out of his car carrying a manila envelope with $14,000 inside. That is when a car with four men pulled up and Leiva was robbed.
Police say the men pulled up in this car, a brown Ford Escort with California license plates. One of the robbers walked over to the security guard while another went straight for Leiva's manila envelope containing the $14,000. And once he got it, police say the men jumped back into their Escort and sped off. Police were alerted and they pursued the car. It was a chase that would take them all the way from Belama to West Landivar.
The robbers desperate attempt to escape ended inside this yard on Bachelor's Avenue in West Landivar. Witnesses say it was a violent confrontation, the police opened fire on the robbers and these empty 9 millimeter shell casings are proof.
The chase ended here because the desperate robbers drove into this yard to elude capture. The gate was closed this morning but last night it was opened. And an open gate was the only reason the robbers drove into this yard. The residents declined to comment to us and the only thing they would say is that they saw the car drive up and later heard gunshots. Those gunshots were also heard by a neighbor who spoke to us off camera.
Keith Swift,
What did you hear last night?
Area Resident,
"Just gunshots, several and I didn't where or who were firing the shots; just that they were nearby. I couldn't tell what came to my mind. All I know is that I was trying to get to safety, get down on the ground, get out of the way."
Keith Swift,
How many shots did you hear?
Area Resident,
"I counted at least eight but then I can't be certain because I was so scared that I can't be certain but at least that I counted."
Rhenae Nunez too heard those shots. She lives on the next street.
Rhenae Nunez, Witness
"We heard gunshots ring out, it was around 6 o'clock, shortly after perhaps and then the neighborhood came out. It is unusual for us to hear something like that in what is a quiet West Landivar neighborhood."
Keith Swift,
I know you came out, what did you see?
Rhenae Nunez,
"When I got to the scene I saw three young men lying face down on the ground with another male person holding a weapon. I recognized the vehicle that was parked as a police vehicle."
The three men Rhenae talks about are these men. Our 7NEWS team was there last night as police investigators took the suspects to the back of this yard. With these fallen trees you could see why it was a convenient hiding place. The only thing we saw investigators return with was a shirt. Afterwards the suspects, the evidence, and the getaway car left Bachelor's Avenue but the memory of this night will stay much longer in this quiet neighborhood."
The men detained last night were formally charged today. They are 20-year-old Kylon Garbutt, 24 year old William Vasquez, and 29-year-old Shane Budran. All three have been charged with robbery, aggravated assault, and keeping unlicensed firearm and ammunition. The trio had their first court appearance today and all three were denied bail. And as we mentioned earlier, along with the suspects, the stolen cash, and getaway car, police also recovered two point 38 pistols which were found on the suspects.
