Police have recovered over one hundred and ninety thousand dollars that was snatched in a daring bank robbery yesterday morning at the First Caribbean northside branch in Belize city.
It happened at 9:00 am in one of the busiest areas of town - near the Belcan roundabout. Four bank robbers held up the bank went into the safe and walked out with two bags of money.
Police responded - and ended up killing one of the robbers - while also recovering what appears to be most of the money and two handguns.
Here's the latest on the police investigation:
Jules Vasquez Reporting
All this money accounting to almost two hundred thousand dollars - this small vessel and this Isuzu Rodeo - are the key pieces of evidence recovered in yesterday's bank robbery.
Inspector Hilberto Romero - Investigator, First Caribbean International Bank Robbery
"Investigation revealed that they entered the bank armed with firearms, and they held up the tellers. They proceeded into the vault area where they made off with two bags with an undisclosed amount of cash."
So far police have counted 192,776 dollars that was recovered from the vessel along with two firearms.
The men were forced to jump out of the boat unarmed after they got into a fierce firefight with police who had them trapped on both sides of the river.
ACP Elodio Aragon - OC Eastern Division
"The police officers acted justifiably out there, and the person that was shot was definitely a part of these suspected robbers. And I must tell you that also within the vessel, it was where we recovered the 9mm weapons and, likewise, an undisclosed amount of money."
Albert Assi is believed to have been incapacitated by a gunshot in the boat - and was shot dead by police once he got across to LA Croix Boulevard.
The killing has raised some public ire, but police maintain that it was a justifiable use of deadly force.
ACP Elodio Aragon
"The police officers acted justifiably. They came under fire at the onset of them being seen by these suspected robbers. And the police responded in kind."
So far two men have been detained - and police have positively identified a number of the robbers from reviewing security tapes at First Caribbean.
While the original figure from the Bank to the police was that two hundred and forty thousand dollars was stolen - police say that was just an estimate from the bank which will have to reconcile that figure.
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