BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Aug. 27, 2020– Highly acclaimed Belizean painter, Alex Sanker, took social media by storm on Tuesday, August 25. The enraged artist went live on his personal Facebook page after fighting off two would-be robbers who were violently assaulting a tamales vendor.

Sanker heard the commotion outside while painting in his art studio, and he immediately sprang into action. He grabbed a used easel and proceeded to fight off the two young men with it.

The assailants got the worst of the battle, and left their bikes and ran, leaving behind a badly beaten Hispanic street vendor behind, just before police came on the scene.

Sanker said that the young thieves threatened to return, but he said that he would not be forced to live as a prisoner in his own country.

On his livestream, Sanker said, “Hear weh di goh on inna this country right now. This country da nuh nothing fi play with, ok? You have a lotta b***k bwai deh out ya whe want wa free dollar, nobody nuh wa work. This tamales man di sell fi f***ing years. But they talk bout they wa come back. I tell them they know weh I live, they could come back yah, cause hear what, after this, I wa be straight up with yo, this need fi stop!”

The following, day the Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams, met with Sanker to commend him for his act of bravery, saying, “Thank you, Mr. Sanker, for your act of bravery and dedication to our great nation, Belize. We are proud of you for defending the helpless, who could not have defended himself.”

In an interview, Sanker said, “People who know me, know I stand for something real. I am a public figure, but at the end of the day, I will live in peace, and not in fear in my own country.”