Shots were fired in the Brodies Northside parking lot this afternoon -
but it was the cops pulling the trigger, hot on the tail of armed
robbers who had just pulled off a heist at the Scotiabank.
Initial reports said it was a bank robbery, but it appears now to have
been a big depositor who was robbed.
7News was on the scene and got the lowdown from the Commissioner in
Belmopan:
The Brodies parking lot, home to the Scotiabank Belama branch was the scene
this afternoon, of a robbery, but also of remarkably swift response by the
GSU.
A shattered rear. window in front of the bank - was just one sign of the
scene that had played out here.
The parking lot was also littered with bullet casings from a pursuit that
started in the parking lot
And ended around the corner, at the end of Seashore Drive,
Where police had three of the suspects, and their getaway van. While two of
their alleged accomplices were at the hospital, these three were kept
around to witness the search.
But, this boat was the other part of the puzzle - this was what they
planned to use to escape in what looks to have been a well-planned heist -
but no one planned for the police.
A video taken from nearby shows the GSU detaining the men in the boat.
It started here a short while earlier, where five men robbed a depositor:
Chester Williams - Commissioner of Police
"Robbery, they stole money they had guns after having done so, they fled
the area in a black van. Police responded swiftly to that incident and
ended up in a hot pursuit. The pursuit took the police to the area of
seashore drive where the officers saw the van coming to a stop and there
was a boat waiting to ferry the robbers. However, the police responded by
using their firearm to bring the robbers to a stop. That resulted in two of
the robbers being shot by the police, one was shot in the arm and the other
one to the neck. Both victims have been transported to the KHMH for medical
attention. The other 3 individuals who were also captured by the police and
they are in police custody. Police also recovered firearms that were used
in the robbery and we also believe that the money that was stolen was also
recovered."
After a bad week for the law, it's a big win for police:
Chester Williams
"While we have a few of our officers, who tend to go down the wrong path,
for the most part we have some very hard working dedicated police men and
women who put their lives on the line every day for the safety of our
country and they need to be applauded for the good work that they do. Those
officers who are involved in this recent act of bravery let me announce
here now, that they will be recognised for the good work that they did. I
believe that it is worthy of recognition and I am proud as the commissioner
when I see things like this occurring, these are the things that keeps me
motivated."
And, in an update to our headline story, one of the bank robbers from this
afternoon has died. As we told you, police shot two of them as they were in
pursuit, and then rushed them to the KHMH. Well, we can confirm that the
one who was shot in his neck has died. It happened a short while ago at the
KHMH - and we'll have much more in tomorrow night's newscast.
Police recovered an as yet undisclosed amount of money along with two
firearms.
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Chester Williams - Commissioner of Police