Trio Charged in Freetown Road Robbery Remanded to Prison

Three men accused of carrying out a daring armed robbery on Freetown Road earlier this week have been remanded to the Belize Central Prison. The suspects are twenty-four-year-old call center agent Malique Chavez, nineteen-year-old Leroy Garoy, and forty-five-year-old taxi driver Harvey Sambula, who allegedly drove the getaway vehicle. Chavez and Garoy face charges of aggravated burglary and abetment to commit aggravated burglary. Sambula, in his defense, claimed he was simply doing his job as a taxi driver and is not involved in criminal activities. However, the court denied him bail, and he was remanded along with the others until their next court appearance on September twenty-third. The robbery took a deadly turn when a fourth suspect, Leroy Smith, was shot and killed during the incident. According to reports, Smith, Chavez, and Garoy used a handgun to force thirty-three-year-old businessman Michael Cambranes, owner of Casa Churros and Mini Café, into his establishment just before noon on Tuesday. As Cambranes was opening his business, the men demanded money. When Cambranes stated he had none, Smith, allegedly holding the gun, forced him upstairs. A struggle ensued, and Cambranes managed to disarm Smith. Fearing for his life, Cambranes fired several shots at his assailant. Meanwhile, Garoy and Chavez made off with a gold bracelet and a Samsung Galaxy cellphone, worth nearly four thousand dollars. Both men pleaded not guilty, but were denied bail under the Firearms Act. Sambula, who claimed he was merely providing taxi services, has been charged with abetment to burglary for allegedly aiding in the crime. Despite Sambula’s argument that he was simply running errands for the Vital Statistics Department, the magistrate emphasized the seriousness of the charges and denied him bail. All three men will return to court on September twenty-third.