Escapee Dies While Eluding Belmopan Police

Zack Leonard August

The fourth person to die over the weekend is from Belmopan where a freak accident claimed the life of thirty-two year old Zack Leonard August, who attempted to elude police after a robbery. According to reports, August had already cut the lock on the front door of the La Inmaculada Credit Union in Belmopan when the alarm went off. That resulted in a call to the Police Station which is located a short distance away. Police responded and say that as he attempted to get away from them, August suffered a freak accident which led to his death.

Howell Gillett

Supt. Howell Gillett, Officer Commanding, Belmopan

“We immediately responded on foot, and somewhere between the station and Constitution Drive we observed a male person fitting the description of the information passed on to us by the caller, and we pursued that person. That person upon seeing the Police diverted towards the magistrate Court. Police pursued on foot again and the person it would seem, because of trying to elude the Police, might have hit one of the cement pillars that demarcate parking behind the Magistrate Court. There’s a bicycle that was found. The bicycle was damaged to the front portion. There’s also a ski mask that he wore at the time. There was a heavy duty wire-cutter found on the scene also and other personal items that were found in a knapsack he was carrying. The person received facial bruising which we believe may have caused his death upon the impact from riding away from the Police and the hit that he got from the cement pillar. Immediately upon hearing that this incident took place, I called the Commander of the Professional Standards Branch, because I want the investigation against the officers who were on the scene to be separate from Belmopan investigating it to show that there is transparency. But we here in Belmopan do not suspect that there is any wrong-doing on the part of the officers who responded. I think they did a good job in pursuing this guy. After we found the person on the ground, we immediately took him to the Western Regional Hospital, but unfortunately he died upon arrival.”

A search was conducted at the home of August, where police found twenty-one cell phones and a number of other electronic devices. August had previously served eight years for a similar offence and was released one year ago. A post mortem this afternoon confirmed that August died from head trauma consistent with a fall.