A man who was accused of pulling an assault rifle on road works crew is at home tonight after narrowly escaping automatic remand after the charges were withdrawn in court.

30-year-old Efrain Rejon, a businessman from Independence Village was accused of pulling a high powered weapon on a road works crew on the Coastal Highway.

The arrest came after a report filed yesterday by Dennis Saragosa who was doing work between mile 18 and 19 on the Coastal for contractor Imer Hernadez. Around 3:00 pm, a towhed with a container attached barrelled through safety cones and road signs indicating ongoing work, knocked down a barrier and struck a Lifan brand generator which the crew had on the road.

The truck driver, accompanied by four other men got into an argument with the works crew about the damages. The driver then grabbed a metal pipe from the truck, and, in response, Saragosa informed the driver that he was carrying a licensed firearm.

It was a standoff until a Rejon allegedly arrived in a white Ford Ranger pickup and exited the vehicle, armed with what appeared to be a high-powered rifle with a scope. He allegedly pointed the rifle at the workers, warning them not to approach him or the truck driver. He then instructed the driver and his team to continue their journey, while he stayed behind for a few minutes, brandishing the rifle before departing the scene.

Today, Rejon, who is a Businessman of Independence Village was charged for 5 counts of Aggravated Assault. We note that he has a license for a .223 rifle - issued in January of 2023.

Still, it is an offence for which remand is automatic. But, tonight he's free of charges. And here's why.

Today in court, the 5 complainants stated that they did not want court action as they did not know the accused and were too far away to identify him. They said they didn't want court action, just the replacement of a generator that was damaged. With that, the charges were withdrawn. Notably, Rejon had attorney Hector Guerra from Marine Parade Law Chambers in Belize City representing him.

And while charges have been withdrawn, we will follow up with the commissioner to see if Rejon gets to keep his license for that assault rifle. He has three gun licenses- the two others issued in 2021.