Official Independence Day activities were held in Belmopan on Friday afternoon. There was a ceremony followed by a parade and later a jump up at the Independence Park. It all went well and no one could have predicted the melee that followed. To show it to you, we've got amateur video provided to 7NEWS of a violent confrontation between the police and members of the public in Belmopan on Independence Day.
Keith Swift Reporting,
This amateur video captured the chaos that unfolded after independence day ceremonies and jump up near Independence Park in Belmopan. And the footage doesn't lie - this is video of citizens openly warring with police - and police fighting back.
Video Footage: View: [ON DEMAND]
And as that guy was being dragged to the police mobile, the crowd followed the officers and advanced on them. And despite warnings from the police to retreat, the crowd didn't and that sparked another confrontation. And while reinforcements arrived later, that did little to intimidate the crowd as shortly after there was another uprising as they continued to openly taunt the officers.
The police seemed at times to have lost control of the crowd. Look closely as this detainee simply jumped out of the police pickup with no one noticing. But in end the law and cooler heads did prevail and the situation was de-escalated without anyone getting hurt.
Police have arrested four men. They are Gary Garbutt, Andrew Garbutt, Jermaine Joseph, and Robert Gladden. They have been slapped with a battery of charges - ranging from wounding to assaulting a police officer, insulting a police officer, and escape. Police say they responded to the scene after they received complaints that Garbutt brothers were smoking weed in the park. Police add that their officers sustained varying degrees of injury - and one officer required seven stitches.
