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Gunshots were fired this afternoon on Princess Margaret Drive. It happened near Princess Margaret Drive’s intersection with Coney Drive at sometime after 3 pm – the time parents were picking up their children from Belize Elementary and other nearby schools. It was part of a lawless mid-afternoon robbery that ended with a kidnapping. Our seven news team was first on the scene and Keith Swift has the story.

Keith Swift Reporting,
It began here at the Water Store at mile 1 and a half on the Northern Highway where gunmen stormed in and robbed the employees. Peter Searle came face to face with one of the robbers.

Peter Searle,
“I walked in here and as I was walking through the little walkway for where they collect the water, I saw a guy walking out and I asked the young boy Ian what took place, what was going on, and he never really answered me, I never really understood, and it is afterwards when they were going, one of them turned back and he came to me and told me I must go to the back. I stood up to him and asked him why must I go to the back and then he turned around and left while the other one was going with the package of things.

Actually what took place inside I don’t really know. For what I understand they took all their cell phones and their money and they decided to walk towards Coney Drive and on Coney Drive they turned right to go the hospital area.”

And that is what led to this ugly mess on Princess Margaret Drive. The driver of this Jeep Cherokee pursued the robbers and crashed into the rear of their Pontiac Grandam. He told us why he did what he did off camera.

Driver,
“They robbed my wife. When they robbed my wife at the same time I reached back and I saw them walking out. I didn’t suspect nothing but I watched them watching me. So when I saw him watching me at the same time I parked and then the guy who works with my wife ran out and knocked on my vehicle and said they just jacked him. I asked him who and if it was those same boys and he said yes. I saw them jumped into that blue car and I said oh it is them. So we trailed behind them and I was following them. On this road they had to slow down but I didn’t slow down and I bumped his bumper and he looked to take off and when he tried to take off, he went straight into the vehicle.”

The men then exited and one of them opened fire. No one was shot but it caused a chain reaction collision in the middle of Princess Margaret Drive and in the middle of a rainy afternoon. The robbers fled the scene in another vehicle which they commandeered when they were forced to ditch their crashed car. They got away, but Soila Verde and Felice Williams were stranded at the scene.

Soila Verde, Driver Caught in Accident
“I was trying to go home and sudden thing I see that vehicle over there push this one and it knocked against my one.”

Keith Swift,
Did you see any activity, did you see anybody running?

Soila Verde,
“No I didn’t see anything. I just feel a slight bump when this car came. Only the door over there got damaged.”

Keith Swift,
I guess you’re ready to go home?

Soila Verde,
“Yes I have to go home.”

Felice Williams, Driver Caught in the Accident
“I just felt my car being rear ended and when I looked around, I saw some guys running behind there and that was about it.”

Keith Swift,
So your vehicle was damaged?

Felice Williams,
“Yes at the back.”

Keith Swift,
Did you know what was happening?

Felice Williams,
“I didn’t know until afterwards when I got out and the guy there told me there was a robbery going on. I didn’t know.”

Keith Swift,
You heard the shots?

Felice Williams,
“Yes I heard the shots, about two, and I saw the guy run, I just saw one person running.”

Keith Swift,
How unnerving was this for you?

Felice Williams,
“I am still shaking.”

As we mentioned in the story, the robbers jumped into the car of Chinese man who was picking up his child from Belize Elementary School. He is safe tonight. They forced him to drive and they jumped out of his car near Belize Water Services Limited on the Boulevard. He was not harmed and was left to go about his business. We are told one of the robbers left their cell phone in the car. The employees at the Water Store recovered a bag with money but it contained only coins. Their cell phones and most of the money is still missing.