By Breaking Belize News Staff: Less than a week after Michel Chebat assumed responsibility for the Belize Police Department, questions are emerging over the reported release without charges of a social media influencer publicly associated with the newly appointed Minister of National Security, following a shooting incident in Belize City early Saturday morning.
Benjamin Eduardo Garcia, 27, and Mexican businessman Sergio Martinez Ramirez, 36, were detained after police responding to gunshots along the Philip Goldson Highway pursued and intercepted a grey Ford F-250 pickup truck. Although an initial police report indicated that both men would be jointly charged with discharging a firearm in public, a Channel 7 report indicated that Garcia was subsequently released without charges.
According to the police report, officers assigned to the P4 Support Team were conducting business checks at Social Lounge at approximately 1:45 a.m. on October 10 when they heard several gunshots. Officers observed the pickup truck leaving the area and initiated a pursuit that ended near the Pallotti roundabout, where additional police units intercepted the vehicle.
Garcia, who was travelling as a passenger, and Ramirez, the driver, were detained. During a search, Garcia informed officers that he had a licensed 9mm firearm inside the glove compartment. Police recovered the weapon and found one live round in the chamber and 11 rounds in the magazine.
Both men were cautioned in connection with the alleged offence of discharging a firearm in public. Scenes of Crime personnel were called to process the relevant locations, and the report expressly stated that both men would be taken to the Belama Police Station to be jointly charged.
Garcia’s reported release without charges raises questions about what transpired between the initial police investigation and his release, including whether ballistic evidence was examined, whether either detainee was found to have discharged a weapon, and who authorized the decision not to proceed with charges.
The incident comes at an especially troubling time for Belize City, where a fresh wave of deadly gun violence has claimed several young lives in recent days. On Thursday, October 8, 17-year-old Kaylon David was fatally shot on Iguana Street Extension, while 20-year-old Shamar Smith was murdered on Pelican Street later that evening. Another victim, 27-year-old Jory Bowden, was killed on Central American Boulevard on Friday night. The three killings have heightened public concerns about escalating firearm violence and the police department’s ability to contain it.
The Garcia incident also places renewed attention on the leadership of the police department. Chebat was appointed Minister of National Security on October 6, replacing Julius Espat, who had served as interim Minister of Home Affairs since June. The Cabinet reshuffle placed both the Belize Police Department and Belize Defence Force under Chebat’s leadership.
The situation presents a notable contrast with Espat’s handling of another politically sensitive police matter in July. Following allegations that Stoney Ferguson, the son of Agriculture Minister Rodwell Ferguson, assaulted a police officer and damaged a police vehicle in Placencia, Espat reportedly directed police to pursue his arrest despite his family connections. Ferguson had initially been released without charges, reportedly following telephone calls made on his behalf. Espat subsequently made clear that police officers were expected to act according to the law rather than political considerations.
The question now is whether that same standard of accountability will be upheld under the police department’s new leadership. The fact that Garcia possesses a licensed firearm does not, by itself, establish that he discharged it unlawfully. Equally, the initial police report’s stated intention to charge both men does not establish their guilt. However, the apparent reported reversal warrants an explanation, particularly given the seriousness with which firearm offences are ordinarily treated in Belize.
As of publication, BBN has not independently established who fired the shots, whether ballistic testing linked Garcia’s firearm to the incident, or the official grounds for his reported release. There is also no verified evidence that Minister Chebat intervened in the police investigation or influenced the decision not to charge him.
With Belize City confronting another deadly surge in gun violence, the circumstances surrounding the incident raise broader questions about consistency, transparency and equal treatment under the law.
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