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There was an armed robbery late this evening in Belize City. Around 4:30 - two men armed with guns entered Manuel’s Jewelry Shop on West Canal. They cleaned out the store – stealing everything from the showcase. 7NEWS was on the scene shortly after and the owner’s wife Maria Matute spoke to us off camera and told us what happened.

Maria Matute,
“Two boys came in, one jumped over the showcase, put a gun on him, and the other guy put a gun on my cousin that was standing outside the showcase and they told him this is a robbery and no one move or you will be shot; they didn’t move. They (the robbers) asked for a key for the show glass. He gave as was requested and they took everything that was in the showcase, all the jewelry, the watches, and I think it was a little bit more. I can’t remember fully what all. It is only men’s watches, silver bangles, gold earrings, some medals, gold medals, jewelry from off his desk but we can’t right now say exactly what they are.

They put the jewelry inside a bag. They brought a bag and they put the jewelry inside the bag. A guy came up at the same time that knew them. He hand shook with one of them, not realizing it was a robbery going on. When he saw the gun on the guy’s head, on my cousin’s head, that is when he realized and he came back out. But he knew exactly who the robbers were. He left and they left also after that.”

Manuel’s Jewellry has been opened for 20 years and this is their third robbery and by far the most violent. Police are investigating. Reports to us are that the culprits are suspected to be from the area.