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A savage attack, but not an unprovoked one - according to police. It turns out the chopping was retaliation for the burning down of a home in the same community. Also, there has been a long history of feuding between the two families. And it culminated on Saturday evening in a display of appalling brutality. Andrea Polanco has more:….

Andrea Polanco Reporting
On Saturday evening shortly after 5 in the Maya Mopan Village two men and two women all from one family were badly chopped up after they intervene to save a family member. One of the persons caught in the middle of the fight 17 year old Erlinda Ochoa who told us their side of the story.

Erlinda Ochoa, Chopping Victim
"My brother was coming at the field going to pay football and right there they attack my brother, a lady who is our neighbor told us that they are attacking my brother so we went out and that's when everything started to happen and they chop us with machete."

Andrea Polanco
"So they chop you and your brother? Who else?"

Erlinda Ochoa, Chopping Victim
"My sister and my father."

Andrea Polanco
"So right now your sister and your father is in the hospital?"

Erlinda Ochoa, Chopping Victim
"Yes they are in the hospital in Belize City. They are saying that my father might not make it but they are trying to help him as much as they could."

It was during that fight that the Ochoa family use these sticks and stones still covered with blood to defend themselves. But the blood stain ground and wound sustain show that those werent enough.

Erlinda Ochoa, Chopping Victim
"My sister; they chop off her entire hand but the doctors are trying to fix it back. She have 3 children, right now my mother is taking care of her children."

Andrea Polanco
"So your father got chop in his head as well?"

Erlinda Ochoa, Chopping Victim
"Yes, he got chop two times in his head; one in the middle and one at the back of his head, he cannot breath through his nose, he is breathing through the back of his head."

Andrea Polanco
"We visit the scene earlier and we see some sticks. Did they attack you all with sticks too?"

Erlinda Ochoa, Chopping Victim
"No, we had the sticks but we were trying to help but the sticks break and that is why they had the opportunity to chop us."

Andrea Polanco
"Did they say why they attack your brother?"

Erlinda Ochoa, Chopping Victim
"They are saying that he burnt down their house, but that same night he was home sleeping. They are blaming him and they blame everybody; they have a lot of enemy. They are saying that 4 females and 12 men went to burn down their house. They are not sure who burn down their house, they are just blaming people. They have a list of names. that is what is happening, that's why they have problem with everybody."

Andrea Polanco
"3 of the men attack your brother?"

Erlinda Ochoa, Chopping Victim
"3 of them attack him, when we went to help him they had already chop my brother. I pick up a stone and 'stone' the man because he wanted to chop my brother again; he would have kill him there. After that the man comes after me, I was trying to take away the machete but he didn't let it go. He over power me and chop me too."

Andrea Polanco
"I see young hand bandage. Is this where you got chop?"

Erlinda Ochoa, Chopping Victim
"Yes, it is right there."

Andrea Polanco
"So only chop would you get?"

Erlinda Ochoa, Chopping Victim
(Nodded head). "One chop."

The chopping incident was witness by a neighbor who said she heard it was because of a fire that took place earlier in the village.

Carina Hernandez, Witnessed Chopping
"Actually what she is saying is that she was with a neighbor visiting a friend and she was there when these people reach in front of the house, she was there along with her kids when she saw these people coming with machete. The man accuses the other of burning the house. She saw what happen. When the police the man who did the chopping says that it wasn't him but she says she saw he do the chopping."

Andrea Polanco
"So she says her kids also saw what happen?"

Witnessed Chopping
"She saw everything, the two set of family saw everything that actually happen."

The fire being spoken about involve two wooden houses with thatch roofing. The first fire was witness by Mariano Tush, a resident of Maya Mopan and he told us what he saw.

Mariano Tush, witness fire
"I live right close to the house that got burn. I was in my house drinking with friends when my wife came to me and told me that the neighbor house is burning."

Andrea Polanco
"What time was that?"

Mariano Tush, witness fire
"That was around 11 and 12 o'clock on Sunday night. When I went there to check the police officers was already in there. They ask me some questions and they got my name and things like that. They ask if one of his son is out, I told them that one of his son was right drinking with us and he is drunk and sleeping from 5:30 in the evening until the house burn down."

Andrea Polanco
"When you went there and saw the house on fire did you see any of the owners outside? What were they doing?"

Mariano Tush, witness fire
"When I went in there I didn't see anybody, I only saw the police officers. There is no evidence that things burnt in the house. They say that everything burn down in the house. Before that happen people see them carrying clothes through the back in the bush and after that was when the house burn down. To me when I see that I feel like they are the same persons that burn down the house, they just want to cause problem. We people live like brothers and sisters here."

Andrea Polanco
"I understand that the Ochoas' help to build that house."

Mariano Tush, witness fire
"That is what I am thinking too because Ochoa was a friend of our too and he is a kind old man here and everybody knows him. If he need help you just tell him and he will help you, and those are the same people that he help, he gave them clothes, thatch their house. I doesn't make sense because he help them and this is how they are going to repay him trying to kill the entire family."

Andrea Polanco
"So the house that you saw burning, was that the first one or the second one?"

Mariano Tush, witness fire
"That was the second one. I was at home but I didn't see anything that happens. When I woke up in the morning and leaving one of my friend told me that the house is burning, but I didn't see anything, only the second one."

The houses that were burnt belong to Neftali and Candalaria Ico who were all left homeless and taken in by a friend Romelia Teul. Teul told us the Ico side of the story as was told to her.

Romelia Teul, Ico's Family Friend
"One house went down Saturday in the morning."

Andrea Polanco
"What all was in the house?"

Romelia Teul, Ico's Family Friend
"The lady told me that she had bed, radio, everything was destroy."

Andrea Polanco
"Everything burn down?"

Romelia Teul, Ico's Family Friend
"The lady told me that everything burn down but was not here but that is what she is telling me. I am helping her translate because she is a Ketchi. My sister call me and told me that people are chopping themselves here and I ask who it is and she said the Ico's. When I came home I went to check at the police station but they has already been arrested, the lady was crying outside, I ask her what happen? she said that her husband went to fight. She said that they got into a fight with sticks and machete. % boys with machete went to threaten them at their house, they boys told them that they will burn down the house if they don't come out, by that time now the Ico's come out and went to sleep at a friend house, after that they burn down the house, a second house."

Andrea Polanco
"What time was that?"

Romelia Teul, Ico's Family Friend
"That was yesterday like 12:30 the house burn down. They got the news about 8 o' clock."

Andrea Polanco
"So they weren't in the house when it got burnt down?"

Romelia Teul, Ico's Family Friend
"They were not in the house."

Andrea Polanco
"They lost everything as well?"

Romelia Teul, Ico's Family Friend
"Everything got destroyed."

Andrea Polanco
"So they are just your friends and they are staying with you right now."

Romelia Teul, Ico's Family Friend
"They are just friends, I feel sorry for them because they don't know English. If need a place and I told them that I could give them a place, I don't know for how long because I have kids too. They are 12 of them, they get their sleep, their food, all that I am doing for them."

Andrea Polanco
"So what are they doing today? They are not here."

Romelia Teul, Ico's Family Friend
"They are not here, they went out to try ask for help."

According to police, Neftali Ico - whose home was burned down - had previously reported to police threats that the Ochoa's had allegedly made against him.

The injured are the 17 year old minor who you just saw in the interview - she was chopped to the upper arm, 57 year old Nicholas Ochoa received cut wounds to the back of the head, right side of the head and to the left forearm - and is in the KHMH, 23 year old Julio Ochoa received a large cut wound to the left side of the head and 26 year old Isabella Ochoa, had her hand cut off - and she has also been transferred to the KHMH due to the seriousness of her injury.

Charges have been brought first for the choping: 23-year-old old Guatemalan farmer Rudy Teul, 49-year-old Belizean Security Guard Antonio Ico, and 19-year-old Neftali Ico all of Maya Mopan were charged with attempted murder of all four victims. Rudy Teul and Antonio Ico were for use of deadly means of harm, upon Julio Ochoa and Nicholas Ochoa.

Neftali Ico was charged with two counts of use of deadly means of harm upon Julio Ochoa and Osabella Ochoa. Neftali was also charged for the crime of wounding against Erlinda Ochoa. v And on the other side, for the arson:

Police have reportedly detained twenty eight year old Mario Tut and twenty two year old Efrain Tut pending an investigation of arson