18 year old Gregory Lopez is one of 5 persons who Corozal police believe was involved in an armed robbery on Saturday night - which involved two tourists. It is said that Lopez stole a purse from the couple that contained one thousand US dollars and some documents. He was charged with Robbery yesterday. The other side of the story is that he was beaten up by police. Today he told Seven News, he is a victim of yet another case of police brutality and he is innocent.
Gregory Lopez
"They took us at the back by Dreams in the dark areas and they put 5 of us to kneel down and then they put they load the gun with bullets and start to crank in on us and they told us that right now we will die, right now we will bury us back here because nobody doesn't worry about us. We told them that we don't know anything about this robbery, we don't know anything. We told the officers that we when they told us about the robbery were the first time we are hearing about it. They took us and one of the police officer tell the officer that was driving to take 4 of us on the street side so that they could not see what they were doing with me. I thought that when they took the other 4 that they would have do me something because they gun was already crank up. They had me kneeling down with my hands up and the gun pointed at me, they had a pump 12 gun pointed at me and they ask me if I was ready to die. I told the officers that we didn't deserve this. They got me up and put me in the car with the others, when we reach at the police station we see the white lady and the white man there sitting down. As we enter the station the lady hollered that 'it's not those guys' so they let us go. Five minutes when we left the police station a eye witness went to the station and say that they see me rob the white people. So the officers went back to look for me. On the way to the station, they took me to a dark area where 4 of the officers beat me for nothing. I am telling them that I don't deserve all of this, you all are beating me for nothing, the big fat officer in full black choke me until I was almost blank out then another just punch me in my face then I drop, when I drop was when I woke up back. They ask me where the people's items were, I told them that I didn't do anything and that I didn't know anything about that. They ask me to put my hands on the table, when I did that they hit me with the flashlight."
Supt. Miguel Guzman, O.C. Corozal Police
"Sometime on Saturday at around 8:30 pm, one Susan Kasey, 59 years Swedish national who was accompanied by her husband Kevin Kacey a 60 year old Swedish national who were both guest at the Mirador Hotel were hanging out by one of the parks when somebody came and stole their purse which contain some valuable items inside and made away with it. The initial information that the police got that it was an arm robbery, police responded to it and the preliminary investigations reveal that there was more than one person, that this person who grab the purse and taken it to another person who transport it to another location hid the purse and went back to the location. Because these are tourists they could not positively identify who actually took the purse because it's the first time they had seen this person. None the less the police went to locate these persons and later found them and that is how they came into custody. It is allege that some point in time that there were some degree of force use on these persons to which they are claiming police brutality. One person has come forward and made a formal report which is Gregory Lopez and we are dealing with his report but base on his report likewise he was issued a medical form where the doctor said that he didn't see any bruises and that was specified on the medical report form but because he is complaining of pain we classified his injuries as harm so that matter is under investigation as we speak."
Monica Bodden
"You know if there is any truth in the guys being transported to an isolated area?"
Supt. Miguel Guzman, O.C. Corozal Police
"I am not sure what transpire between the point of time when they were pick up to the point of time when they were brought to the station. But I am certain what happen. Police brutality is not something that the department is encouraging and I am not as commander not encouraging it. Every case of police brutality that is made against any police officer is investigated thoroughly and at the end of the day if there is sufficient evidence then we take the next course of action."
Superintendent Miguel Guzman told us they will be investigating this incident. We understand the other 4 person's police held, are all minors.
