It's the punch that was felt all across Belize on Christmas Eve - when a mentally ill man was caught on camera punching down two innocent, unsuspecting women who were just walking down the street. Nothing could have prepared them for the massive, full - strength, dead-on blows to their heads.
Well, tonight, that man, 27 year old Kareem Anderson is locked up after being remanded for the vicious attacks.
But, it's a complicated crime - he's mentally ill and the incident has sparked various reactions from those calling for greater security one one hand, to others calling for sympathy. Jaleeza Roberts has all sides of the story: from the police, to an eyewitness, to a victim and the parent of the accused:
This is what happened on Friday December 19th. Separate incidents, same general area, same perpetrator, same MO. By midday on Christmas Eve, social media was in an uproar as the videos of 27 year old Kadeem Anderson punching these women emerged.
After the videos made their rounds and generated a public outcry, Anderson was found, arrested and charged.
ASP Stacy Smith, Police Press Officer
"Police have formally arrested and charged 29 year old Kadeem Anderson of Belize city for 2 counts of harm in relation to 2 separate incidents that occurred on 19th December 2025. In these incidents which have since made their way on social media. Anderson is reported to have assaulted 2 unsuspected females by punching them causing them to fall on the street. Mr Anderson was detained and today he was taken before the magistrate court in Belize City where no plea was taken from him in relation to the offense charged. He was remanded to the Belize Central prison where he is expected to return at a later date pending a psychiatric evaluation."
And while he is remanded, the shocking attacks have left residents young and old scared - after all it happened in broad daylight on heavily trafficked streets. Anyone could fall victim to such a random and vicious attack and the butcher seen aiding the 69 year old victim on West Canal said that Barbara Austin was a regular customer. As he opened his shop at 7am, this is the last thing he thought he would witness:
Voice of: Castillo, Witness
"Punch down the lady for no reason so I assisted. I had one of my friends said "Cas da what happened." I tell him just grab this young man cause he punch down this lady. So i come out and I pick up the lady at the same moment two other guys on the street and then I just come in my shop and I start to flag a with this iron because you no do that nobody because it could a mi be your ma your sister or whatsoever person and i wah always assist. I no really like dealing in timing there but you know."
"Mommy I da really want mek they tek off they people off the street mein and just tek deh somewhere because they could hurt innocent people."
One of those innocent people was a Belize City Council sanitation worker, Kendra Hamilton, who was cleaning the streets when she felt a punch to the back of her head which caused her to fall.
Kendra Hamilton, Assaulted by Mentally Ill Man
"When I was going to my work and then I was out there working and I didn't really focus or see the person or anytihng like that. He just came from behind me and hit me and I dropped and I got badly hurt. my hand is swollen, my stomach has pain."
"I feel frightened and nervous. I feel dizzy because when I fell down, I was dizzy, I could barely get up and I was in bad pain."
Reporter
"And you're still feeling dizzy right now?"
Kendra Hamilton, Assaulted by Mentally Ill Man
"Yes."
Reporter
"Are you upset at - we see these people who are mentally ill on the street all the time, we see them having episodes - are you upset that there's not more happening to prevent these types of attacks?"
Kendra Hamilton, Assaulted by Mentally Ill Man
"Not really like that. Because sometimes they say to try follow behind them but doesn't make sense because when you go across, because I was going across, and I didn't notice and he just came. some people came, or I would be right there still and nobody would have noticed, I would be passed out there still and nobody would have noticed."
Reporter
"Are you worried now - because you have to continue working, but are you worried while you're out there now?"
Kendra Hamilton, Assaulted by Mentally Ill Man
"I'm not so sure because I heard they already caught him. i heard they say he came out, I'm not sure if that's true because I don't want to be in the same area, they have me, I'm already afraid of that area by that side so I just want them to move me from there and at least put me in the middle so that nobody could do me anything out there."
Even with Anderson remanded, there is still unease in the community as the question remains: "what if it happens to someone else?" Moreover people now fear that next time it could be a knife.
The alleged perpetrator's step father Sheldon Dennison says he has a zero tolerance for this form of behavior.
Sheldon Dennison, Stepfather
"The government shouldn't have these types of individuals on the street like that we should a have a better security fi deh type of people deh. Think bout yo people in yo country because then this da weh, we have to stop be a stigmatized and leave people out deh like that weh could cause problem."
Since the incidents calls for better care of persons with mental illness have been made, claiming that we need better facilities. For now, the victims are left to recover from their injuries, and on his social media page, neurosurgeon Dr Joel Cervantes says Austin's injury will have long term consequences.
Dr. Joel Cervantes, Commenter
"This lady looks very dazed and out of it, she has no realisation of what hit her, like a dump truck hit her. I'm worried not only the short-term consequences, I don't know exactly, what happened to her but I can tell you from experience that this type of an injury can, in the following six months, it can really show its face and I'm referring to what happens from a brain perspective, that she can start to have personality changes and changes in memory and I don't know her underlying health conditions that she may or may not have but I really hope my colleagues have paid attention and it's not just a little something that happened and this has to be taken seriously because in incidents like this, one out of five people can have injury going forward that the symptoms don't show up until six months afterwards, if not immediately and one in five people who have a massive injury like this, that they get hit and they fall without being able to put their hands in to break their fall, they can have hidden spine injuries."
We are told that the extent of Austin's injuries - especially the neurological ones - are still being assessed. Jaleeza Roberts, 7 News.
We should note that Barbara Austin is the mother of UDP Chairlady Sheena Pitts and Senior Magistrate Tricia Pitts Anderson.
Today in court, the charges of common assault and harm could not be read to him because the Chief Magistrate was not satisfied that Anderson was of sound mind and so she ordered that he be remanded to the Prison pending a Psychiatric Evaluation. He was remanded to the Belize Central Prison until March 26, 2026.
