Three people were injured in the terrifying plane hijacking incident that occurred last Thursday. Fortunately, no passengers were fatally wounded, and the three men who were stabbed in the incident are in stable condition. According to authorities, passengers Jair Castaneda and Fitzgerald Brown have been released, while pilot Howell Grange remains hospitalized. When the plane finally landed at the Philip Goldson International Airport, hijacker Akinyela Taylor was fatally shot by one of the passengers, who was armed with a licensed gun. Today, we asked Commissioner of Police, Chester William’s if authorities are considering levying charges against the shooter for Taylor’s death. Here’s what he had to say.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“That is not something that is going to be decided by the police. But I can tell you from a legal standpoint looking at section thirty of the criminal court, which deals with just abuse of force and harm, it says that a person may use force even to the extreme necessity to kill in certain circumstances. And those circumstances include where it is perceived that one is going to cause grievous by the harm to another or. Even greater than that. And the force use can be either in defense of yourself or another person concern situation that confront those persons on board, that flight where the lives of fourteen of fifteen other persons were in danger by a knife-wielding man who had injured three persons on board that flight. It would be reasonable to say that he tforce use was justified. And so what we are going to do is put the file together and we send to the DPP for final determination.”
After multiple encounters with immigration officials, the hijacker successfully re-entered Belize and bought a ticket for a domestic flight. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams expressed uncertainty about how Taylor managed to cross the northern border, emphasizing the urgent need to bolster security in these vulnerable areas. Williams also mentioned that authorities will be reviewing and enhancing security protocols at municipal airports to prevent similar incidents in the future. Stay tuned for more details on this developing story.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“It so happens that Mr. Taylor, went back over into the Mexican side and how he eventually returned into the country. We don’t know. But again, I’ve said before, our border is very porous in that area and so he could have easily stepped back into the country. We also hearing information now that he had assaulted some police officers, which was never reported to myself or Mr. Rosado. And certainly if Mr. Rosado was told that he had assaulted any police, I’m sure. That he would not have directed, that the man not be detained. And even if a person assaults the police, you don’t need to seek permission from the commissioner, the deputy commissioner, even your command to arrest that person. There is that person there and then there is no need for you to call and say, this person assault me. What can I do? No, you don’t need to do that.”
Reporter
“So there is a legal provision for you to carry a license firearm on an aircraft? I’m not familiar with that.”
Chester Williams
“I don’t think I have said that. No. And there is nothing either to say that you cannot. Yes. We would hope that nobody would be able to board an air airline with any kind of weapon. And I believe at the time it’s coming that we are going to get there. It’s a work in progress. There is always a possibility for anything to occur. It is a matter for us to make sure that we learn from this experience. None of us who were involved in this entire process had any prior. Experience in dealing with a plane hijacking incident. None of us. But we had to be creative, we had to be reasonable and adapt strategies that we believe is going to work that is going to yield the result that we got. And I think that all the agencies are involved, the police, the, civil aviation, the airport authority, the BDF really and truly performed exceptionally well. Our efforts were well coordinated.”
News Five provided live broadcast this morning as law enforcement authorities tracked a Tropic Air flight that was hijacked by a U.S. national leaving Corozal. He has been identified as forty-nine-year-old Akinyela Sawa Taylor. A passenger on board the aircraft shot and killed Taylor moments after the plane landed at the Phillip Goldson International Airport. News Five’s Paul Lopez tells us more.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
This is the flight path of an aircraft hijacked by forty-nine-year-old U.S. national Akinyela Sawa Taylor. Armed with a knife, Taylor demanded that Howell Grange, a pilot for Tropic Air, fly him out of the country. The flight had fourteen passengers, including an infant. Flight tracking shows the pilot made a sharp turn after takeoff, circled around, then headed south. South of Belize City, the plane turned east over the Caribbean Sea, circled Caye Caulker and San Pedro Town, then returned over land near the Phillip Goldson International Airport. It went back out to sea before landing at the airport an hour and a half after leaving Corozal. A licensed firearm holder on board shot and killed Taylor moments after landing. These Cessna Caravan planes can travel over a thousand miles in ideal conditions, but the pilot told Taylor they were low on fuel, according to Commissioner of Police Chester Williams.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“And at one point in time they demanded that he landed at an area where they can refuel. Our greatest concern was the fuel consumption of the plane. The information we were getting was that the fuel was depleting, and the plane was still at a very high altitude moving.”
Law enforcement, medical, and fire personnel were ready at the Belize City Municipal Airport in case the pilot landed there. Taylor had stabbed three people on board: Jair Castaneda, a Tropic Air employee, Fitzgerald Brown, and the pilot, Howell Grange. Images and videos from the plane show a severely injured Castaneda, while the other passengers huddled at the back of the plane.
Howell Grange
Chester Williams
“So we had deployed at the International, Belize City Municipal, Caye Caulker, San Pedro, Dangriga and Even the Coastal Road, because there is an airstrip there. We did this to ensure that if the plane landed, we would have been able to intercept the hijacker.”
Jair Castaneda
When the plane made its second pass over the Caribbean Sea, it had only twenty minutes of fuel left. Authorities then called in Astrum Helicopter to track the aircraft.
Chester Williams
“We were now thinking outside the box, knowing the fuel was depleting we were hoping we didn’t have to move from a search and rescue to search and recovery. The think was for the helicopter to follow the plane to see where it would land so if they received to crash land the plane in the sea or one of the islands we would have been there quickly to respond.”
A social media user caught this video of the plane flying over Saint George’s Caye, just east of Belize City. The passenger who shot and killed Taylor after the plane landed was among the injured and is being hailed as a hero. This is the first incident of its kind in recent history, leaving many to wonder why Taylor hijacked the plane and what his story is. U.S. Embassy of Belize Public Affairs Officer Luke Martin was at the PGIA, working with local authorities.
Reporter
“Can you tell us about what you found out about the hijacker and what was his motive?”
Luke Martin
Luke Martin, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Embassy Belize
“We don’t have any information on him at all. We know that his name was being released. We don’t know what was his intention, why he wanted to go back to the U.S., the reason of it. So, right now we don’t have any information on that.”
Paul Lopez
“So you have confirmed that he was trying to get back to the U.S. on this plane?”
Luke Martin
“That is reports that we have heard, but we have nothing direct on that. This is something that the Belize authorities, we trust them to resolve and look at well. We share that commitment with them to make sure Belize is safe, airlines are safe, tourist are safe, borders are safe and secure, this is all part of that as well. It highlights that important event of everybody investing their time and money.”
Local authorities have uncovered more details about Akinyela Sawa Taylor. Over the weekend, Mexican authorities denied him entry at the northern border, but he managed to sneak into Belize through an unauthorized entry point.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“There was an issue last night from what I was told at the freezone involving the same person. So he seems to be a problematic person, and so that is what we know about him a part from the fact that he is a U.S. veteran.”
During a State Department press briefing this afternoon, spokesperson Tammy Bruce addressed the Tropic Air hijacking by a U.S. national in Belize. Bruce confirmed that the Department of State is aware of the situation. We also spoke with Public Relations Officer Luke Martin of the U.S. Embassy in Belize about the report the embassy will send to its U.S. counterparts.
Reporter
“An attempted hijacking of an airplane internally in Belize, Tropic Air. It involved an alleged hijacker who is a U.S. citizen, according to law enforcement report, he was fatally shot. He has been identified as a U.S. citizen and passport holder. Does the U.S. have any information on this?”
Tammy Bruce
Tammy Bruce, Spokesperson, U.S. Department of State
“Not yet. We watched that unfold like everyone else. It is horrifying. We are grateful, like all of us are, that this did not turn into a mass casualty event with over a dozen people on the plane. We know a few details. We don’t know much more. As I was working on the briefing that came across my timeline. It came across yours. It is terrifying. But thank God. We don’t know about injuries and any other details, so we cant comment. But we know there was effective law enforcement on the ground and that is all I have for you now. But obviously we are watching it now.”
Paul Lopez
“What do you have to send or say to your counterparts in the U.S. at this point? What is the next step?”
Luke Martin
Luke Martin, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Embassy Belize
“I really think that highlighting the importance of Belize. Belize is a regional partner. It is important to Central America and the Caribbean. We want to keep ensuring that we have traction and connections without law enforcement colleagues here as well.”
Paul Lopez
“What do we know about his family members in the U.S., where he originated or what state.”
Luke Martin
“We don’t have that information. We don’t know his situation, other than the name.”
Paul Lopez
“Will the embassy be working with the local authority to do a thorough background check.”
Luke Martin
“Investigation will happen, but this is in Belize so the Belize authorities will handle that as well.”
Tropic Air released a statement after the incident, calling it a serious and unprecedented in-flight emergency. They praised the pilot’s heroic effort and extraordinary courage in safely landing the plane under intense pressure. Tropic Air expressed sympathy for the injured passengers and emphasized that safety is their top priority, with pilots undergoing rigorous training to handle any situation. The airline also thanked the Prime Minister, the Department of Civil Aviation, law enforcement, and medical teams for their swift response. Minister of Home Affairs Kareem Musa and Commissioner of Police Chester Williams visited the injured passengers at private healthcare facilities in Belize City. We spoke with Minister Musa.
Kareem Musa
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
“Myself and the commissioner visited the pilot, Mr. Howell Grange over at Health Care Partners a few minutes ago. Mr. Grange was undergoing a CT Scan to ensure that no organs was affected. He received stab wounds as well. We have two patients here at the Belize Medical Associates. Both are being treated at this time. Currently no serious impact to their organs as well. But they are badly injured. They have several stab wounds to the head and over the body. We had a chance to see them. They are in good spirit and we will continue to keep them in our prayers.”
