5.56 AR15 assault rifle and 47 rounds found in Ford Explorer on Coastal Road

6 men armed with high-powered rifles escaped from the vehicle, leaving behind one rifle

WHITE RIDGE, Coastal Road, Stann Creek District, Sun. Nov. 11, 2018– A 5.56 AR15 assault rifle and 47 5.56 live rounds were found by police, abandoned in a Ford Explorer on the Coastal Road, at about 12:30 this afternoon.

Police said that at about 12:15 this afternoon, on their arrival in White Ridge, they saw a heavily tinted blue Ford Explorer SUV, without license plates. When they approached the vehicle, however, it sped off towards the sea near White Ridge, with the officers in pursuit.

When the vehicle reached the seaside, the officers saw six men dressed in black and armed with high-powered rifles escaping into the nearby bushes. The officers called for assistance and a team of from Special Patrol Unit (SPU), along with members of Belize Special Assignment Group (BSAG), responded. The vehicle was searched and the rifle and rounds were found. The surrounding area was also searched, but the men had escaped.

The rifle, the rounds and two  magazines were taken to the police station and deposited as found property.