7 News Belize

Alleged Scotiabank Robbers Charged
posted (July 6, 2020)
Last week Friday's headline story was about Gasman Henry Young, the accused bank robber who died in a shoot-out with police. The cops say that he was one of 5 culprits who attempted to carry out a brazen, broad-daylight robbery of Scotiabank's Belama Branch. Tonight, his alleged co-conspirators are at the Belize Central Prison after they were arraigned in Magistrate's Court today.

They are identified as 28-year-old Jason McKenzie, 29-year-old Anthony Barrow, and 24-year-old Leon Westby, and a 17-year-old, and today they were all jointly arraigned on the offenses of robbery, aggravated assault, damage to property, keeping an unlicensed firearm, and keeping unlicensed ammunition.

For the cops, these swift arrests simply follow-up on the quick response from the GSU, to catch them shortly after the robbery took place.

Here's what the cops had to say about those charges today:

Supt. Alejandro Cowo - OC, CIB
"Reference to the bank robbery, which occurred last week, during the weekend, police arrested and charged 4 male persons. As a result of that, the persons who were arrested and charged are Jason McKenzie, Anthony Barrow, and Leon Westby. All of them were charged jointly for the crime of robbery, aggravated assault, and damage to property. They were also charged jointly for possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition."

Reporter
"Sir, is it possible that you'd be able to share any details that police may have gathered as to how these robbers were so informed? We understand that they specifically targeted a depositor that they knew had a substantial amount of cash."

Supt. Alejandro Cowo
"As we had mentioned earlier, yes, there were many persons at the bank at the time, doing a deposit, and the money was already with the cashier. So, we cannot tell you, or we cannot link it exactly if it was this person that was being targeted, or it was the bank. We believe it was a crime of opportunity, up to this moment."

But, for the 5th accused robber, Gasman Young, who died from gunshots he suffered during a shoot-out with police, the Commissioner is standing behind his officers for the use of force. He told us today, that he saw our interview with Young's attorney, Ronell Gonzalez, from last Friday, here's his impression of it:

Chester Williams - Commissioner of Police
"That is one of the most hilarious interviews I've seen. I noticed the attorney alluded to the fact that his client would need to be proven guilty. I don't know how you are going to prove a dead man guilty because we don't charge persons who are deceased. And, again, in terms of the force used by the police, I'm not going too many details of it, but, the police were under fire by these individuals and by law, the police or any ordinary citizen could have responded in the like manner as the police did, and would have been deemed to be justified by law, unless the DPP, who is going to look at the file, were to find that the police would have used unnecessary force, which I don't think is going to be the case. So, I do not agree with the attorney, and may I say that it is not the police who find people guilty. It is the court, and the only way the court could find a person guilty or innocent is when that person is charged. And in this case, the deceased person will not be charged. So, to say that until his client is found guilty, that will never happen."

All 4 men were arraigned before Chief Magistrate Sharon Frazer and were remanded into custody until September 8, 2020.

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