One of two thieves is presently under police custody at the Corozal Hospital as he recovers from chop wounds to the leg and hands, after being captured by a Chinese storeowner they went to rob at about 8:00 p.m. last night.
During the robbery attempt at the business, AA Fried Chicken, located on Santa Rita Road, the 17-year-old thief chopped the storeowner’s son, Rowel Wu, 27, in the head, but the storeowner, Yu Lain Wu, 57, retaliated by chopping him with his own machete, which fell out of his hand.
The thief, who had worn a mask, is now recovering at the Corozal Hospital, while Rowel Wu is presently hospitalized at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital.
The second thief, who was wearing a mask and was the “lookout”, ran away when his partner was chopped and held by the storeowner.
Police who responded to a report of the armed robbery went to the store, and on their arrival, a Chinese businessman was holding a Hispanic man, whom he had detained, and handed him over to them.
According to police, the Hispanic young man, 17, had chop wounds on the right hand and on his right knee, while a Chinese man (the storeowner’s son, Rowel Wu) had been chopped on the left side of the head; he also was cut in the right eye brow area and complained of pain in the left shoulder.
Both were taken to the Corozal Hospital, where the teen thief was admitted to ward, and Wu was rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital for further treatment.
Yu Lain Wu told police that she was outside her store with a child, but the door was unlocked. With her outside was her son, Rowel Wu, 27, whose wife was inside the store.
Suddenly, two masked men, wearing black warm caps and rags tied over their faces, approached them. One of the men had a machete. He went immediately to the unlocked door, went inside and shouted, “Give me the money,” and at the same time, he chopped Rowel Wu, who was inside at that point, in the head.
Rowel Wu then struggled with the armed thief, and during the struggle, the machete fell to the ground, and that was when Wu’s mother picked up the machete and chopped the young thief on his hand and knee.
The other thief, who had been acting as lookout, sprinted away.
Wu and the thief were taken to the Corozal Community Hospital and police issued medico legal forms.
The detained thief is a student of 2nd Street, North Corozal Town. A machete, a black warm cap, a pair of white Nike tennis shoes and a checkered-patterned cloth were found on the scene, which was processed by police.
The rules for dealing with minors were followed, and the boy’s mother was informed of his arrest, say police.