By Jem Smith
Robberies seem to be on an upward trend and with the wearing of masks being a health requirement police say that criminals are taking advantage of the opportunities to commit these crimes. There were at least two major robberies in Belize City last week and another two have been reported. Over the past weekend, three masked men entered and robbed My Lights store located on 6th Street in King’s Park. From that establishment, where the owner was along with his employees, the culprits relieved those present of their cellphones before making off with an undisclosed amount of cash from the register.
The plans of the robbers in the second incident were thwarted when a former police officer intercepted them. It took place just outside of Monica’s Pawn Shop on the George Price Highway when two men produced a weapon and were either about to enter the pawn shop or rob a nearby tacos vendor. Whatever the case may have been, the attempted robbery was stopped but an official report has not yet been produced.
In southern Belize, three armed men held up a grocer in Elridgeville, Punta Gorda. Surveillance footage from this incident shows men entering a grocery store before making off with cash from the register. In the video, the female shop owner could be seen being pushed to the ground while a second person, a Chinese businessman, was held at gunpoint. Just like the previous case, no official report has been filed and the police only received amateur video footage of the incident.
