This weekend, 2 amateur videos, recorded on a cell phone, were posted on Facebook, and they capture what is basically a mob putting a beatdown on a Belize City man. And, the principal aggressors in this mob are 2 Belize City women and a group of children.
It happened on La Croix Boulevard, and seen here, this man is being chased by the mob. He is then assaulted by women screaming at him in rage. The females then strike him in the face with rocks, and he is then clubbed with a piece of wood. He then falls into a nearby drain, where his aggressors take turns to stone him. His face starts to bleed, and while he is clearly hurt, he also appears to be intoxicated. Later on, some unknown person then hurls an entire bicycle at him, which strikes him in the face. Listening to the audio, it is clear that that the young boys are participating in this public beatdown.
This morning, the press asked police what they know about this public assault. The Deputy Head of the National Criminal Investigations Branch told us that neither the victim nor his aggressors want to press charges, which reportedly has a worrisome backstory. Here's how he explained it:
Sr. Supt. Hilberto Rombero- Deputy OC, NCIB
"That matter was investigated by the police. We saw the video. That person was detained. Other persons were brought in as a part of the investigation. At the conclusion of the investigation no charges were levied upon anyone as the complainants refused to press any charges on anyone."
Reporter
"Sir, talk to us about public brawling that we've seen a few instances of in the past week. Is it something that you believe police are condoning?"
Sr. Supt. Hilberto Rombero
"No we are not condoning that behaviour at all. That video was taken by someone. Like I said, we intervened and detained several persons and that matter was investigated."
This morning, we approached one of the female attackers and the family of the victim, and they both declined to comment.
Kevin Arthurs, the new CEO of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries, took to Facebook this weekend, and he said, quote, "What is alarming about that video is... the level of violence from the children... It is a direct reflection of a failed hope that wrong will be punished and appropriately so... Again... we have women in another video as the chief responders and vessels of violence..." End quote.
