There have been a rash of daring armed holdups in and around the downtown area in the past few weeks – and though the police’s oppressive new media policy appears to be to just not report these frightening assaults – one way or another, most of them still come to public attention. This afternoon we got a call about a robbery that rattled the bustling King street area. It happened at around 3:00 at A to Z store – which is about 50 feet from the busiest part of Albert Street. But that didn’t dissuade the fearless gunmen...Jacqueline Godwin visited shortly after and reviewed the security tape with the owners.
Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
A&Z Store on King Street is the third Indian in the area to get held up this week. The latest victim did not wish to appear on camera but through the video that captured the crime in progress it first shows the young businessman sitting in a plastic chair waiting to serve customers when a little boy from a family’s store next door enters the shop.
Voice of Victim,
“I am relaxing and he usually comes and play, he is from the shop next door.”
Look closely now as the child continues to speak with the young business man, the first robber enters the building followed by his accomplice.
Voice of Victim,
“The other person he holds the baby mouth because he was screaming, so he holds the baby’s mouth and carried him to the back where the cash
is and held him tight like he was ripping off his mouth or something, you can see all the red marks on the baby’s arm, and they just tek the cash and went.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
So the child is left traumatised?
Voice of Victim,
“Yeah, right he just gone back and started to cry cry cry.”
As the business employer and child are taken to the rear of the store the video then captures the businessman being dragged on the floor.
Voice of Victim,
“Now they push me in the corner and they told me to take out the mouth and I said I didn’t have any money. So they dragged me to the counter like they wanted to take me to the cash register and I just stayed on the floor for a little while because I know what is going on.”
At this point the video is not clear but one of the robbers can be seen rifling through the cashier’s box situated behind the counter.
Voice of Victim,
“Another guy came and put a gun in my face and then he grabbed by my shirt and dragged me to the back and there he pushed me in the corner and he took like all the money from the cash register.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
Do you know how much money was stolen?
Voice of Victim,
“I think about 250 dollars or something like that.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
Were they wearing masks?
Voice of Victim,
“No, nothing. No masks, nothing. Two of them had bikes too. They came like two seconds after each other.”
In the final shot, the traumatized child is then seen in the video running away from the store. Shortly after the two robbers then escaped on bicycles.
Jacqueline Godwin,
Is the first time they held up A&Z Store?
Voice of Victim,
“Yes Miss.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
Were you surprised of the time it happened and how it happened?
Voice of Victim,
“No Miss because this is happening every week somebody else is getting hit right now. I was prepared for it.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
So you plan to beef up security?
Voice of Victim,
“No the police have to come and monitor the streets. If they don’t monitor the streets we can’t do nothing else.”
So far Belize City police have no leads in this case. Jacqueline Godwin reporting for 7News.
But as police search for their robbers, the Indian business community in downtown Belize City is upset because they say it is the third for this week that their stores in the downtown area have been robbed. Today they appealed to the police to increase foot and mobile patrols in the area and not only in the night. According to the business owners because of the crime they now close at seven in the evenings, but it seems the criminals have adjusted as now the hold ups are being staged much earlier in the day.
