Another Chiquibul confrontation; one of three gold panners injured by gunshot in capture

Posted: Saturday, May 14, 2016. 5:16 p.m. CST

By Aaron Humes: The Government of Belize has confirmed that three Guatemalan men are detained after being caught in the Chiquibul area last night. In the process of being captured one of the men was shot in the left forearm.

A joint patrol comprised of officers from the Belize Defence Force, the Police Department, and Friends for Conservation and Development encountered a group of 10 – 15 individuals engaged in what appeared to be illicit gold mining operations in the Ceibo Chico area of the Chiquibul Forest Reserve around 7:45 pm on Friday evening, approximately five miles east of the border.

The men are identified as 23-year-old Carlos Roberto Perez Hernandez, 17-year-old Edin Alexander Escobar Garcia, and 21-year-old Solomon Martinez Pasqual.

According to reports from the patrol, Carlos Roberto Perez Hernandez advanced towards a member of the patrol in an aggressive manner with a machete and the officer fired a warning shot in the air but Hernandez continued to advance. The officer then fired a second shot in self-defense and wounded Hernandez in his left upper arm.

The patrol dressed Hernandez’s wound and brought all three men to the San Ignacio police station for processing. Hernandez was taken to the San Ignacio Hospital where he was treated and returned into police custody. The investigation into this incident continues.

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