Belize City Deliveryman Remanded After Police Chase Leads to Gun Charges

A Belize City deliveryman is at the Belize Central Prison tonight, remanded after being charged with firearm offences following a dramatic police chase earlier this week. Twenty-eight-year-old Alexander Andrew Leslie, of Mopan Street, appeared before a Senior Magistrate in Court Number Six this morning. He faced charges of keeping an unlicensed firearm and unlicensed ammunition. The charges allege that on Tuesday, April 15, on Beatrice Smith Street, Leslie was in possession of a black nine-millimeter pistol and fifteen live rounds of nine-millimeter ammunition without a license. Leslie pleaded not guilty to both charges. Due to the nature of the firearm offenses, bail was denied under Section 16 of the Crime Control and Criminal Justice Act. Leslie was remanded to prison until his next court date on June 17, 2025. The charges stem from an incident late Tuesday night. Police report that around 10:50 PM, Corporal Elvis Guzman and another officer were on patrol on Alicia Street when they noticed two men on a motorcycle acting suspiciously. Officers say they activated their patrol vehicle’s lights, but the motorcycle driver, allegedly Leslie, refused to stop and instead sped off, leading police on a high-speed chase through numerous Belize City streets, including McKay Boulevard, Mahogany Street, Administration Drive, and Police Street. Corporal Guzman reported shouting for the driver to stop multiple times. As the chase continued onto Beatrice Smith Street, the officer stated he was able to clearly see the driver’s face, identifying him as Leslie and noting a star tattoo under his left eye.  According to Corporal Guzman, it was on Beatrice Smith Street that the driver pulled an object resembling a gun from his waistband and tossed it into a drain. The chase continued until the driver lost control of the motorcycle near Gladden Street, causing both riders to fall. Both men reportedly fled on foot, but officers, assisted by the GI3 unit, managed to apprehend Leslie. Police say an insurance disc found on Leslie linked him to the abandoned motorcycle. Officers then took Leslie back to Beatrice Smith Street, where the object had been thrown. A search of the drain recovered a black nine-millimeter pistol containing a magazine with fifteen live rounds. Alexander Leslie remains remanded pending his next court appearance in June.