By Breaking Belize News Staff: A Belizean transport officer who was remanded to prison on Monday morning on a charge of aggravated assault with a firearm was freed just hours later after the businessman who accused him formally requested no further court action.
Thirty-three-year-old Ignatius Peyrifitte, a transport officer of Bermudian Landing, appeared before the Senior Magistrate in Court #2 on Monday, represented by attorney Orson “OJ” Elrington, where he was read a single charge of aggravated assault.
The charge stemmed from an incident that allegedly occurred in the early hours of Saturday, April 11, 2026, in Shisha’s parking lot behind Midnight Night Club, where businessman Rodney Card, 30, reported that Peyrifitte pulled a licensed 9mm pistol from his waistband and “cranked” it at him during a confrontation.
According to Card, he had gone into the parking lot around 3:30 a.m. and saw two women fighting. He said he attempted to de-escalate the altercation when Peyrifitte approached him, told him to “leave the girls alone,” then allegedly drew the firearm and cocked it, causing him to fear for his life.
When Peyrifitte was first arraigned, attorney Elrington informed the court that the virtual complainant was outside and wished to withdraw the matter. However, due to the serious nature of the allegation, the Senior Magistrate requested that Card first give a further formal statement to police confirming that he wanted no further action taken.
Peyrifitte pleaded not guilty, but because of the nature of the charge, bail was denied and he was remanded to the Belize Central Prison until Friday, April 17, 2026.
Within approximately two hours, Card provided the additional statement, confirming that he was requesting no further court action against Peyrifitte.
By 3:10 p.m., when the matter was called up again in Court #1 before the Chief Magistrate, the court reviewed the further statement and also questioned Card directly to ensure he was acting of his own free will and had not been threatened or coerced.
After Card confirmed that the decision was voluntary, the Chief Magistrate dismissed the charge, and Peyrifitte was immediately freed.
Outside the courtroom, Card said he had never intended to pursue court action, explaining that while he did make a police statement about the incident, he only wanted it formally recorded that it had happened.
A video reportedly capturing the confrontation in the parking lot has since gone viral, drawing widespread public attention.
What is understood so far is that the confrontation erupted while Peyrifitte’s wife and sister were involved in a fight inside the parking lot after reportedly being inside the club earlier that night.
Police investigations had resulted in Peyrifitte being detained on Sunday along with his licensed firearm, described as a 9mm duty Luger pistol, before he was formally charged with aggravated assault.
By late this evening, however, the Transport Officer had been spared jail after the complaint was officially withdrawn and the case dismissed.
The post Ignatius Peyrifitte avoids jail after pulling gun on man who tried to part fight between Peyrefitte’s sister and his wife appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: A Belizean transport officer who was remanded to prison on Monday morning on a charge of aggravated assault with a firearm was freed just hours later after the businessman who accused him formally requested no further court action. Thirty-three-year-old Ignatius Peyrifitte, a transport officer of Bermudian Landing, appeared before the
The post Ignatius Peyrifitte avoids jail after pulling gun on man who tried to part fight between Peyrefitte’s sister and his wife appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.