7 News Belize

A(nother) Broad Daylight Robbery At First Caribbean; Reports Say Robbers Got 100K
posted (July 31, 2015)
The First Caribbean International Bank branch, in the San Cas Plaza by Belcan Bridge in Belize City was robbed early this morning. It happened between 8:30 and 9:00, when the morning rush was just beginning for the end-of month payday. The bank was more crowded than usual, and that's the when 5 armed robbers stormed in.

They were well dressed like regular customers but dramatically flipped the script when they threw the security guards to the ground, jumped over the counter and helped themselves to as much as a hundred thousand dollars. By the time police responded, they were gone. We arrived shortly after and found out how the second daylight armed robbery in two and a half years happened at the same bank branch:

Daniel Ortiz reporting
The First Caribbean Bank in the Plaza should have been opened for business when we arrived, but the "we're closed" sign was up. Inside, employees and customers alike were present, most likely reporting to the police what they saw and heard during the armed robbery.

All around the premises, city police had the area surrounded; they were out in numbers - numbers which couldn't change the unalterable fact that there had been another broad daylight robbery at this northside bank.

The police booth which was right on the San Cas Plaza compound looked to be operational, but while the armed thieves were operating, it was a non-factor in the robbery in progress. Bank Customer Lloyd Neal was inside when 4 or 5 men stormed in and robbed the place.

Lloyd Neal - Was Banking During Robbery
"When I went into the bank this morning I was quite surprised about the long line. Normally the line is short. So I was joking, I said is this the 8% that public officers and teachers were withdrawing why the bank is crowded this morning. We were in there chatting, chatting. I didn't see when anybody entered looking suspicions, because we were chatting watching TV about t6he plane that they found, the wing - G70 down in Asia side there. While I am chatting having fun, I heard "get on the ground and nobody will get hurt." It made me begin to wonder are they film a movie. Anyway, I got down, because this old man doesn't want to die too quick - although he is already old. Then I saw the fellow with the gun and then people jumped over the counter - young fellows. We weren't too scared, because no gun was fired and no big threat was laid. But it was done in a very quick time. About 4 persons jumped over the counter, came up back with bags and so on. The truth is that we were not very frightened because no gun was fired. That's all I got to say."

Reporter
"What was the response of the either tellers or the security who were working inside the bank?"

Lloyd Neal - Was Banking During Robbery
"They obeyed what they were told "Nobody do anything funny and nobody will get hurt.""

Neal says that it caught his attention that these robbers did not try to shield their identities. Their faces may have been caught on surveillance video, and it should help the investigators working on this case.

Lloyd Neal - Was Banking During Robbery
"Something of particular interest to me, none of the culprits tried to hide their faces in any way. It made me wonder, are they sure of something? Nobody even put on a little funny thing to hide their identity. Very funny and very suspicious."

Reporter
"Each of them had hand guns or just one or two?"

Lloyd Neal - Was Banking During Robbery
"I only saw about two hand guns, but there could have been more."

Reporter
"Did they attempt to relieve any customer of the bank of any personal items?"

Lloyd Neal - Was Banking During Robbery
"No, but they made sure they put the securities on the floor and searched them good for gun or something or the other. They didn't bother with anybody else - the customers and so on."

As we mentioned, this very same branch was robbed before, on March 1, 2012. In that incident, 4 men stormed the building, and managed to get away with 230 thousand dollars. But that time, police responded while the crime was in progress, and one of the alleged robbers was shot and killed while he was trying to escape. A large portion of the money and with 2 firearms were recovered.

Home | Archives | Downloads/Podcasts | Advertise | Contact Us

7 News Belize