There was a border incident out west late yesterday evening.
In happened in the village of Arenal which straddles Belize and Guatemala.
Around 6:30 village police got an urgent call responded to a crime in progress. A motorcycle had been stolen and when police got to the area near the boundary with Guatemala, they saw two men on the motorcycle heading over to that side.
The men jumped off the cycle and allegedly one of them fired two shots at the police who responded with gunfire of their own. The gunman ran off, and the police recovered the stolen motorcycle. The other man - who was his hostage reported that the gunman had stolen his shotgun from his home. The gunman have a known suspect.
Now, this known suspect - a Guatemalan resident of Arenal - is reportedly the one who has been orchestrating vehicle thefts in Arenal and surrounding areas for months.
In this case, he reportedly held his female cousin at gunpoint, and said he wouldn't release her until her father - his uncle - bought his vehicle, and gave him, in exchange for his daughter's life.
But, the girl's father came instead on a motorcycle. The suspect then allegedly held him at gunpoint and forced him to drive across to Arenal. That's when his daughter called police - who chased them across the border.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it has not been fully briefed on the incident.
