By Aaron Humes: Police continue their investigations into this morning’s mass vehicle theft from the Agriculture Department compound at Central Farm, Cayo District, which was foiled when two of the trucks were reportedly stopped after being tracked to the Western Border near Arenal, and the others were abandoned in and around Benque Viejo Town after a shootout with Police.
Staff Officer Assistant Superintendent of Police Stacy Smith explained that police were set on the thieves’ trail after the security guard they tied up was able to free himself and get help: “The operation was prompted by a report made to police by the security guard of that compound, who reported that at around 1 o’clock a.m. today, five individuals, one of whom was armed with a firearm, entered that compound and demanded that he [hand] over the keys to the vehicles that were located on the compound. Being in fear of his life, he complied and handed over the keys, and he was later restrained. Some hour later, he was able to free himself, and he was able to go to someone who facilitated him with a phone call, and he reported the matter to police. Having been notified of the incident, the operational plan was put into place, which included the coordinating of those areas of interest, given that past incidents of this nature showed that the theft of vehicles is done with a view to [taking] them across the border into Guatemala. The operation was successful, and officers from Benque Viejo Police Formation were able to recover two of the stolen trucks, one of which was on the Hydro Road area and the other was found on George Street in Benque Viejo Town.”
The other two vehicles were recovered by personnel from the Special Patrol Unit, which exchanged gunfire with at least one of the culprits who subsequently fled. Police have not been able to establish if anyone has reported any injury either in Belize or Guatemala. They are reviewing surveillance footage as the investigation continues.
So far, reports differ on the identities of the thieves, with some reports saying they spoke Belizean Kriol and others suggesting they came from Guatemala.
ASP Smith noted that the security guard was relieved of his cell phone, which delayed him getting assistance, although not enough to keep Police from retrieving the vehicles.
The post Police: Suspects in mass vehicle theft still at large appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Aaron Humes: Police continue their investigations into this morning’s mass vehicle theft from the Agriculture Department compound at Central Farm, Cayo District, which was foiled when two of the trucks were reportedly stopped after being tracked to the Western Border near Arenal, and the others were abandoned in and around Benque Viejo Town after
The post Police: Suspects in mass vehicle theft still at large appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
