Belmopan Man Hospitalized After Alleged Police Brutality Following Traffic Incident

Omar Avelar, manager of Good Care Pharmacy, is claiming police brutality and is currently hospitalized for injuries sustained.  It is a case that unfolded when he was involved a traffic incident in Belmopan on Monday morning near the University of Belize Campus. Love News understands that he had left the campus to go buy stationery and ended up in a fender bender which spurred the involvement of the police. Police arrived on the scene and arrested him upon which led a back and forth on the grounds that he was reportedly resisting arrest. A video surfaced afterwards documenting injuries he allegedly sustained in his confrontation with the police.  The injuries are serious as he is losing vision in his left eye and has tendon damage in his hands.  Avelar claims that he did not warrant the assault. Attorney David Mckoy, sat in for Avelar’s substantive lawyer, Arthur Saldivar, spoke to Love News on the incident.

David McKoy, Attorney: “There was some traffic accident that occurred in Belmopan and as a result police was called and the driver being Omar was apparently assaulted by police officers and you know was inflicted with some beating which landed him in the hospital. He has been charged for assaulting a police officer and some traffic offenses. He was offered bail this morning in the Magistrate’s court. Well from my understanding Mr.Omar knows the officers who apparently had been like I said it’s allegations at this time, inflicted injuries on him so he will inform his attorney in full details what actually transpired and so forth. But like I said and I have to always say is that these matters play our in court and not in the public domain and I know the public wants to know what happened, it’s a right for them to know but it plays out in court.”

Avelar was charged with assaulting a police officer along with several traffic offenses.  He was offered bail this morning at the Belmopan Magistrate’s court and is to return to court in October.