Coast Guard Accuses Police of Withholding Evidence in Assault Case

A coast guard accused of assaulting a cop claims the police department is withholding evidence that proves that he is the actual victim. In August, Juan Vasquez and his brother were charged with disorderly conduct and for assaulting of a cop. The charges stem from a scuffle outside a nightclub in Belmopan where officers intervened. Police allege that the brothers refused to calm down and became physical when they were approached. However, Vasquez claims he never aggressed the cops and that he was beaten by police officers, and that he sustained multiple injuries to the face and arms. Additionally, Vasquez says police confiscated his cell phone and have not returned it to him. Today, the siblings appeared in Belmopan’s Magistrate Court for disclosure with legal representation by way of Attorney David McKoy. 

David Mckoy, Attorney: “My client has been given the run around I should say to get back his own property. As far as I’m aware there’s no reason. It’s just “Oh we’ll look for it and so forth.” As if though that is to comfort my client. But we know what is it that we’re intending to do and we are going to wait and see how this matter plays out in relation to the phone.”

Reporter: Some persons who see the video may see a different side that it was the officers who could be seen as the aggressors in this case.

David Mckoy, Attorney: “Yes and I don’t want to call out anybody here in this case because it’s very as I always say unfortunate when police officers are involved in alleged brutalization of members of the public. It is not one that I think anybody clamors over to say “Yes police is beating this one.” And so forth but what is interesting in this case is that my clients they went to the Professional Standard Branch and they went to ventilate their claim or their complaint and according to my client they were showed a video and that video shows one police officer hitting one of my clients and then it was mentioned to them that well this video is classified, we cannot give you it. And I don’t know why it should be classified because it is something that should be made public, they should have an opportunity to receive that video so I will write to the Commissioner of Police requesting that video and in relation to the cellphone as well but it should never be that police capture an incident or have information which can show police officers being the aggressor and you turn around and say it’s classified. It shouldn’t be classified. The public ought to know about it and ought to see it.”

Cristina Teul, Vasquez’s mother, also spoke to the media and expressed her dissatisfaction with the police department. She claims her sons are innocent and were wrongfully charged. 

Cristina Teul, Mother of Juan Vasquez: “It is not true because I know who is my son. They don’t disrespect anybody so it is telling me that those police are saying lies and they are still out there hurting people out there and they don’t blame themselves they blame them that how they are assaulting them and that is not true. And that’s why I need justice for my son and I need them to see the case what is happening because I don’t like that because what if they had killed my son ? Well thank God my next son was there and helped his brother. If not they would have killed him, they would have hurt him or make him bleed to death. And what did they say ? Oh because he’s drunk and he died that is what they say or the lungs or they find all kinds of excuse to say my son something they would find out and my son would have died for nothing, nothing come out of it and that is why I need justice for my sons and that’s it.”

The brothers are to return to court on December 12, 2024.