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Policeman Lives to Tell Tale of Machete Mob
posted (May 2, 2018)
A police man is happy to be alive after he survived a machete-mob attack. Maya Mopan resident PC Brian Shal was on his way home with his cousins on Sunday night. They had just left from the Agriculture Showgrounds. A man then approached Shal's cousin on Bethel Street in Maya Mopan - asking or a drink, but things turned messy quick and Shal intervened to try and break up the fight. But playing the role of the mediator almost cost Shal his life. The man and his crew pounced on Shal and chopped him to the head and leg. We spoke to Shal at his home where he is recovering. Here is his story.

PC Brian Shal - Mobile Interdiction Team, Belize City
"My cousin met an individual who I only know by face, but I do not know his first name and he approached my cousin and started to request some sort of drink from him because I was a little distance away and upon my cousin's denial, he started to behave aggressive and he almost got into a physical struggle or a fight yes."

Reporter
"Did he seem drunk?"

PC Brian Shal - Mobile Interdiction Team, Belize City
"Yes, he was intoxicated. So, to arrest the situation I went there and I split them and I pushed the guy away and that there's no reason for this and so when he saw that he turned his aggression towards me and wanted to fight with me. So I told him that hits is not the time or the place for that and he threw a bottle at me - I don't know what he had but he threw it at me and told me that this is not done. I am coming back for you. Knowing that he was intoxicated I did not take the threat seriously. So, now when we turned away and start heading towards my uncle's home. We were heading by the Baptist church and that's when I turned around and I looked and I saw 4 guys running towards us. The younger one who was almost got into a fight with my cousin coming toward me with a machete. He came directly to me and he swung the machete at me and he missed so to avoid him from swinging the machete again to avoid from getting chopped I ran towards him to prevent him from swinging the machete. So, we start to struggle for the machete and both of us dropped to the ground and I went on top of him and that is when I didn't realize that somebody else also had a machete and that was when he inflicted the wound on my head and that immediately made me lose focus and his brother got from under me and then 4 of them just started to crowd me and my 2 cousin I guess they were shocked they didn't know what to do because machete was involved. I don't know which one of them came from behind and they inflicted the wounds on my foot. like what I said, I didn't feel it because it happened so fast and I end up managed to take away myself from him and my ducked down pretended to grab a stone and I draw back and as soon as I got a distance I ran towards my uncle's house. I'm glad that I did escape the situation. Like I said these guys came with intentions and like I said, it just started from a simple misunderstanding that I tried to arrest it and I didn't want it to escalate to something even bigger but it got into something worst."

Shal recognized his attackers. He has made an official police report but so far police have no one detained. The alleged assailants are also Maya Mopan residents.

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