Email

Print

We've pieced together surveillance and cell phone video to show you what happened this afternoon at 2:00 pm on Coney Drive:...

Jules Vasquez reporting
This surveillance video captures the moment police forced the gunman on motorbike to the ground on the side of Coney Drive.

After that, the gunman bolts, firing at police at he sprints away - that's when PC Higinio was hit. The gunman's mad dash led him to the fence of BPO which he scaled with ease - and was gone.

This video taken from a truck coming up behind captures the scatter of gunshots he left in his wake - terrifying civilians and businesses in the area. This driver ducked as more than a dozen shots were fired:

Voice of: Witness
"All I see was police running behind a gunman and shot is flying, the gunman shooting without sense; police shooting without sense. Police probably got graved, gunman probably got shop. They ran up in Transparent BPO, fired up in there. Coney Drive was like a warzone earlier."

A warzone in an upscale business/residential area - that ended with the passenger of the motorbike down on the pavement - while the driver with the gun escaped.

It all started a few minutes earlier here by Renco when police on patrol saw two suspicious persons on the Northern Highway. The cops suspected they might be on robbery reconnaissance and tried to stop and search them.

The men sped off and left cutting down this street unto Coney Drive:

ASP Alejandro Cowo - OC, CIB Belize City
"They began to pursue this motorcycle, thereafter the persons drove into Puma Gas Station into Coney Drive area. police chased them from there all around Coney Drive area until they reach on this side where police finally end up catching them. One of the male persons was detained on the motorcycle and the other who was the driver he jumped off the motorcycle and as he turned he started to fire shots towards the police's direction, resulting in one of the officer getting injured. The officer is presently at the hospital. He is in a stable condition at this moment. police have detained one suspect and are looking for another person."

And while the police officer is stable - the exchange of fire also smashed back window of this parked SUV.

Cowo says police acted based on their knowledge of the men who are now suspects:

ASP Alejandro Cowo - OC, CIB Belize City
"They are well-known persons to police. Hence the reason police started to pursue them."

That police instinct led to an armed man, unafraid to fire at the cops in broad daylight on a crowded street. The outlaw event has left this Northside commercial area rattled.

So, police have a well-known suspect tonight who is from one of the city's gang hotspots. Police have put out an internal reward for his arrest.

As for the constable who was shot - he appeared to have only been grazed and was seen walking around at the scene with a bloodstain on his shoulder. He was wearing his bullet proof vest at the time of the shooting.

We'll keep following the story closely.