By Breaking Belize News Staff: Police Constable Michael Anthony Wagner, 30, has been remanded to the Belize Central Prison after being formally charged with aggravated assault with a firearm in connection with a disturbing incident in San Pedro Town in which he allegedly placed his service weapon into a man’s mouth. Police have also confirmed that disciplinary proceedings are underway against the officer.
Wagner, a resident of Orange Walk Town who was attached to the GI3 police unit operating in San Pedro, appeared in Court #5 at the Belize City Magistrate’s Court on Monday afternoon, November 9, before a Magistrate in the presence of his attorney, Arthur Saldivar.
The charge alleges that on Thursday, November 5, Wagner committed an aggravated assault upon Azzaine Guerra with the use of a firearm.
The incident attracted widespread public attention after video footage circulated on social media showing a police officer confronting a man lying on his back. The officer was allegedly seen placing a firearm against or inside the man’s mouth during the encounter.
As previously reported by Breaking Belize News, Wagner was suspended from duty following the incident while police launched criminal and disciplinary investigations.
During Monday’s police press briefing, Assistant Superintendent of Police Stacy Smith confirmed that Wagner had been formally arrested and charged following a complaint made by a San Pedro resident.
Smith also confirmed that disciplinary proceedings were underway and addressed questions surrounding the officer’s presence at the location where the incident occurred.
She explained that several operational police units were conducting activities in San Pedro, including GI3, to which Wagner was attached. However, she said she had not been informed of the specific purpose of Wagner’s presence on that particular street.
Smith indicated that investigators would seek to establish those circumstances as part of the ongoing investigation. When questioned further about the officer’s actions, she declined to discuss details of the criminal case, noting that the matter was now before the court.
Meanwhile, at Wagner’s arraignment later that afternoon, his attorney challenged the application of the Crime Control and Criminal Justice Act (CCCJA), under which the aggravated assault charge carries restrictions on bail at the Magistrate’s Court.
Saldivar argued that the legislation was specifically intended to address criminal gangs and persons involved in organized criminal activities rather than police officers carrying out their lawful duties.
He submitted that Wagner was on duty at the time of the alleged offence and was legally authorized to carry a firearm while patrolling the community.
According to Saldivar, the law was designed to address the misuse of firearms by civilians and criminal gangs, and his client should not automatically fall within those provisions simply because he was charged with aggravated assault involving a firearm.
However, the police prosecutor opposed the application for bail, maintaining that Wagner had been charged with aggravated assault with a firearm under the CCCJA and that the legislation prevented the Magistrate from granting bail.
The sitting Magistrate agreed with the prosecution’s interpretation and denied bail, ordering Wagner’s remand to the Belize Central Prison.
Wagner is scheduled to return to court on December 29, 2026, before the San Pedro Magistrate’s Court, when he is expected to receive disclosure in the case.
The criminal proceedings and the police department’s internal disciplinary process remain ongoing.
Wagner is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
The post GI3 officer Michael Anthony Wagner remanded to prison over gun-in-mouth incident in San Pedro, disciplinary proceedings underway appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: Police Constable Michael Anthony Wagner, 30, has been remanded to the Belize Central Prison after being formally charged with aggravated assault with a firearm in connection with a disturbing incident in San Pedro Town in which he allegedly placed his service weapon into a man’s mouth. Police have also confirmed
The post GI3 officer Michael Anthony Wagner remanded to prison over gun-in-mouth incident in San Pedro, disciplinary proceedings underway appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
